Blood Tears
by KColl2003
Summary: Faith, the vampiress with a soul, goes to Sunnydale to help the Slayer and to protect the boy who looks like the brother she killed - Xander.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Blood Tears - New Start Rating: R (For Language later) Relationships: X\F Story: Action\Adventure Feedback: In lieu of a Faithbot yeah. E-Mail: KeithWrestle@Yahoo.Co.uk Disclaimer: I don't own the characters just worship at their altar. Credits: For Jason Thompson's story "Juxtaposition" which gave me the idea of using Faith as the vampiress with a soul.  
  
Blood Tears 1: Old Lives, New Start  
  
The woman closed her eyes. The madam was really working her hard, getting her money's worth out of her new whore. She turned to face her client, he was short with a decent build and a blindingly poor taste in clothes. Not that they mattered, she'd soon have him out of them.  
  
Wearily she threw the man a battered price list. "There's what I do, with the prices. Make your choice, but hurry. Meter's running."  
  
The man scanned idly through the list, his eyes widening speculatively. "Is that even possible?" she heard him mutter.  
  
The woman flinched inwardly. Great, a pervert. "If it's on the list it's possible," she snapped. Just painful and humiliating as hell. But then she'd caused enough pain in her time.  
  
"Well as tempted as I am by your beguiling form, I'm not here for that, Faith."  
  
The woman's head snapped towards the man, her mouth suddenly dry. Man? She couldn't believe she'd missed it. Leaping to her feet and unmindful of her nudity, she raced across the floor at lightning speed. Grabbing the man round his throat, she slammed him into the door. "Who are you?" she rasped, her eyes changing from their usual liquid brown to somehow glitter golden. "Who sent you?"  
  
Suddenly the woman was flying back across the room to land back on the bed. She glanced up in amazement at the calm figure stood by the door. "Name's Whistler luv. I'm a balance demon sent by the powers that be to get you back fighting. Only this time on the side of good."  
  
"Not interested."  
  
"Really? You want to spend an eternity whoring?"  
  
"You don't know anything about me!"  
  
"Let's see. Faith Adams, born in Georgia in 1690. Turned by the Master Vampire Angelus in 1709. Soon gained a frightening reputation for sadistic violence and helped turn an Englishman by the name of William Blesdoe in 1825."  
  
"Shut up," the vampiress felt tears of blood roll down her cheeks.  
  
"For seven decades, the trio of you wrecked havoc across America. In single nights you could turn teeming towns into ghost towns. Then in 1897, you stole upon an Apache reservation and murdered the daughter of the tribe shaman, even cutting her unborn child out of her. In vengeance the shaman cursed you with a soul. Since then, you have moved from place to place working as a whore."  
  
"So congratulations you win a prize! Why are you here?" Whistler dropped a photograph on the bed. The vampiress picked it up. It was of an attractive blonde with laughing green eyes. Faith envied the girl the innocence she saw in her eyes. Had she ever looked that happy? "Pretty."  
  
"Buffy Summers. She's the Slayer."  
  
Faith raised an eyebrow. "Still calling them are they?" she snorted. "And they call my race barbaric."  
  
"That's as maybe but she needs help."  
  
The vampiress shrugged her slender shoulders. "Not interested. Now if you're not paying, get out. A girl's gotta earn a living."  
  
Instead the demon dropped another photograph on the bed. "That's her watcher, an Englishman called Rupert Giles, he's about two cuts above the usual Watcher, actually gives a damn about his charge. This," he passed the unwilling vampiress another photograph of a ditzy but attractive looking redhead. "That's Willow Rosenberg, her best friend and a trainee Wicca. And that's," he dropped a photograph of a good-natured looking boy with brown hair and eyes. "Her other friend Alexander Lavelle Harris. Remind you of anybody?"  
  
The vampiress reached for the photograph, her long fingers tracing the contours of the youth's face. "Bucky -."  
  
"Yes Bucky Adams. The fourteen year old brother you raped, tortured and killed four months after Angelus turned you. I imagine he screamed a hell of a lot before he died."  
  
"Shut up," Faith shrieked, tears of blood were once again rolling down her finely sculptured cheeks. Bucky had been the only member of her family she'd loved. It was only because of him she'd stayed at home for as long as she had. Ever since her soul's return it was his begging bewildered face that haunted her nightmares the most. How could she have done that to the only person she'd ever loved and who'd loved her back?  
  
"Can you stand by and do nothing while Angelus and Spike do the same to the boy and his friends? 'Cause that boy won't stand aside and let his friends be taken without a fight. He's not that sort."  
  
"Damn you," she whispered before looking at the demon's sympathetic face. "When do we leave?"  
  
"As soon as you're ready."  
  
Faith nodded numbly. Standing she got her clothes together and quickly dressed. "Ready."  
  
"Okay." The demon led her out into the corridor with its threadbare carpet and walls with peeling wallpapers, the air filled with animalistic grunts and the sounds of passion coming from the other rooms. Within seconds a shaven-headed man the size of a small truck blocked their way. "Where you going Faith?"  
  
The vampiress felt a sudden surge of hatred. This man had humiliated and used her as part of her 'breaking-in'. She'd let him because she had no reason not to, but now she had a purpose and she was dammed if she was going to let him hurt her again. She forced herself to use a coldly polite tone. "I'm leaving Mike."  
  
The man grinned. "Not unless the boss says you are. She's fixing to make some serious green off your fine ass. You need some disciplining." The enforcer reached out to grab her.  
  
Faith's hand flew out to meet the man's grasping paw. Grabbing the man's thick thumb she twisted it violently, breaking it. Even as the man's mouth opened to scream, her free fist slammed into it, sending teeth flying. In the same instant, her right foot swung upwards to connect powerfully with his groin. She released her grip on his thumb, allowing the man to slump to the floor.  
  
"Nicely done," Whistler commented as he stepped over the bouncer's now unconscious body.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hiya handsome."  
  
Xander turned in the direction of the sultry voice calling to him. His mouth dried up as he watched the lithe figure swaying out of the shadows and towards him. The black leather pants and tight denim shirt did nothing at all to hide the generous curves of the raven-haired beauty advancing on him while the woman's liquid brown eyes had within them a hint of mockery that contradicted the sadness he saw there, yet only added to the allure. Realising he was staring, Xander flushed and glanced at his feet. "Hello ma'am."  
  
"Ma'am." The woman chuckled, a sardonic smile twisting her heart-shaped lips. Suddenly she was directly in front of him. "Do I look like a ma'am," she purred.  
  
"Uh no." Suddenly Xander realised something. The woman had her mouth scant inches away from his face and yet he couldn't feel any breath on his face. Eyes widening, his hand dived in his jacket for his stake only for the woman to grab his wrist in an impossibly tight grip. "There's no need for that good-looking," she purred in his ear before kissing him gently on the cheek and pushing a note into his jeans pocket. Then, just as suddenly she was several feet away, a look of merriment on her pale face. "It's been fun," she laughed gaily. "Tell Rupert Giles to have a little faith."  
  
* * *  
  
"Giles! Giles! Giles!"  
  
"Bloody hell Xander. Even if you don't use it as such, remember this room does occasionally serve as a library."  
  
"Yeah, sorry G-Man. Do you want to hear about the vampiress I bumped into or not?"  
  
The Watcher's head snapped up from the leather-bound book he'd been reading. "Vampiress? Please do, don't leave anything out."  
  
After Xander had finished his recounting. Giles scrubbed at his glasses, a troubled expression on his scholarly face. "May I have the note she gave you please?"  
  
The colour drained from the Englishman's face as he read the note's contents. "Good lord. Angelus and William The Bloody in Sunnydale." The Watcher glanced up at Xander. "What did she tell you to tell me?"  
  
Xander paused in thought. "To have a little faith."  
  
"Oh dear, oh dear." The Watcher hurried over to the bookshelves and came back carrying a hefty volume. "According to 'Master Vampires Across The Americas', Angelus was sired in Ireland in the year 1550. His home village of Galway doesn't exist anymore, he single-handedly butchered every inhabitant. For the last 450 years he has left bloody trails across England, Europe and North America. He has killed at least five Slayers and two of his children are amongst the most savage vampires ever. His second, William Beldose was turned in 1825 and became known as William The Bloody or Spike for his penchant of torturing people with railroad spikes and has murdered three Slayers. Angelus' first childe was turned in 1709. She was reputedly a woman of quite astonishing beauty who would use her looks to entice men before killing them. She is known to have killed two Slayers, but her most heinous act was the butchery of her own family. According to public record, one deputy sheriff was driven insane by the murder scene. She supposedly disappeared and was presumed dead but apparently not if you met her tonight."  
  
"No, she can't be. She was too beautiful." Xander shook his head in stubborn disbelief.  
  
"Who's too beautiful? Talking about me again boys?"  
  
Xander gazed distractedly at Buffy, a wavering smile playing on his lips. "Hi Buff." Normally the sight of Buffy would send his hormones into overdrive but now, consumed as he was with thoughts of the stunning vampiress he'd met earlier, he hardly registered her presence. He knew Giles was wrong about her, there was something in her eyes that hinted at sorrow and regret. And how could a beast without a conscience regret anything? Deciding he had to find out one way or another, the young man waited until Buffy and Giles were deep in conversation before rising and hurrying out of the library. 


	2. A New Home

Blood Tears 2: A New Home  
  
"So what do you think of him?"  
  
Faith turned to the balance demon, a thoughtful expression on her face. "He was brave," she said finally. "He guessed I was a vampiress but although I could feel the waves of fear coming off him but he didn't flinch or beg. He just looked me straight in the eye."  
  
"Brave? Good, he'll need that tonight."  
  
"Tonight?" The vampiress' face paled even more than normal. "What happens tonight?" she demanded, her stomach clenching tight with fear.  
  
"A trio of Angelus' minions have been instructed to take one of the Slayers' friends as a hostage. The others are safe but Xander is busy searching the streets for a beautiful vampiress who his friends have told him is evil to prove them wrong."  
  
"No." Faith croaked. The sweet boy who reminded her so much of her long dead brother was going to be hurt because of her. And after she'd come here to protect him. She couldn't let it happen. Staggering to her feet, she made for the door. She'd save him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Well lookee here, it's the Slayer's friend."  
  
Xander paled as he glanced at the three vampires who'd stepped out of the shadows to surround him. He'd been so consumed with thoughts of the woman he'd met earlier in the evening that he'd failed to notice their approach. "I don't suppose it would make any difference if I told you I was on a garlic diet?" he asked hopefully as he pulled out his stake.  
  
"Sorry," replied their leader, a male standing several inches over six feet tall. "See, we're not going to eat you. Our master wants a friend of the Slayer's to play with."  
  
"You could always tell him play-time was over."  
  
"A comedian?" The tall vampire laughed. "I like gnawing on their funny bones."  
  
"Man, your puns are worse than mine."  
  
All three vampires morphed into their demonic faces and surged forward. Knowing that to turn and run would be futile, Xander braced himself against the nearest wall and waited for their attack.  
  
It wasn't long in coming, the leftmost vampire was first to reach him. Thrusting his stake, Xander caught the creature in its shoulder. The monster howled in pain but kept on coming, the fist of his uninjured arm smashing into the boy's mouth.  
  
His vision blurring in pain, Xander swung out blindly at the shapes around him only for his stake to be snatched away from him. A split second later, he was punched in three places at once - the nose, the chest and the stomach. Winded, he could only gasp for air, the sound of his heaving lungs drowned out only by the roaring in his ears.  
  
A hand grabbed his hair and threw him face first onto the stone ground. His head bleeding from the impact, he struggled to his knees. "Remember," he dimly heard the gang leader say. "Angelus wants him alive, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun first."  
  
A barrage of blows reined down on him, knocking back down to the ground. His body screaming for mercy, he pulled himself back up onto his knees only to forced down again. From a distance he heard a banshee like scream.  
  
* * *  
  
Faith hurried through the town streets, unmindful of the downpour that had soaked her to the skin. She had to find him, he had to be safe. Her pace increased at the sound of a brawl in a near-by alley.  
  
What she saw froze her blood and unleashed an animalistic scream from deep within. Leaping into the air, she propelled herself forward to land feet first in the back of the vampire nearest her, sending her opponent flying into some near-by trashcans.  
  
Upon landing, Faith sent a side kick into the belly of the second vampire, doubling her up. Ducking under the third's lunge at her, she thrust a stake deep into his heart. Without waiting for him to explode, she pulled out her stake, turned to the recovering second vampire and thrust the stake into her heart. Next, she stalked over to the surviving vampire and grabbed him round the throat, lifting off the ground. "Tell Angelus from Faith the boy's off limits." She glanced at the groaning figure curled up on the stone ground. "On second thoughts," she plunged a stake into his heart. "Don't bother."  
  
The vampiress rushed over to the youth lying on the ground. He was a complete mess. Three fingers on his right hand looked to be broken, his left eye was swollen shut, a cut in his forehead was bleeding heavily and both lips were bloodied. And that was just the injuries she could see. "Oh, Alex," she muttered softly as she cradled the boy in her arms.  
  
The youth shook his head. "Don't call me that," he slurred. "My name's Xander, my friends call me Xander. Only my dad calls me Alex before he beats me."  
  
"Okay Xander it is then," Faith forced a smile even as her heart darkened. "Nobody's going to hurt you again I promise. Now let me take you to the hospital."  
  
"No, no," the boy shook his head again. "The school library first. Have to warn the others."  
  
She hesitated before nodding. "Okay Xand." She gently lifted him in her arms, wincing slightly at the pained expression on his face and the strangled groans he uttered. "You'll be five by five, you'll see."  
  
* * * "Help him!"  
  
Giles' head snapped up at the anguished scream from the doorway of his library. An amazing sight met his gaze. The woman stood in the open doorway carrying Xander's torn body was soaked and bedraggled from the night's raging storm. Yet even with her jet-black hair plastered to her distressed face and her clothes soaked to her curvy frame, she was still strikingly beautiful. Even with the blood red tears that streaked down her sculpted cheeks. "Bring him over here." The Watcher sensed Buffy starting to rise beside him. He grabbed her arm and shook his head. "No Buffy."  
  
She turned to him, her eyes filled with confusion. "She's a vampire and she's hurt Xander," she growled dangerously.  
  
"No she hasn't. Trust me." The watcher turned to the waiting woman. "Put him on the couch."  
  
The vampiress gently placed the battered body down. Giles' breath caught as he saw the youth's condition and beside him he heard Buffy give a muffled cry. Gathering himself, the Englishman spoke calmly. "What happened?"  
  
The Watcher saw guilt in the vampiress' deep brown eyes, she looked towards the floor. "He was looking for me when three vampires jumped him. I found him and killed the vampires before they took him."  
  
"This is your fault!" screeched the blonde Slayer.  
  
The vampiress' head snapped up, her eyes were now cold and hard. "My fault? If you did your damn job and actually gave a damn about him, maybe he wouldn't have been walking the streets alone!"  
  
"You want me to slay more of the grateful undead?" the Slayer rose from her seat. "Why don't I start with you?"  
  
The brunette laughed harshly. "Go for it little girl. You're so out of your league it isn't funny."  
  
Giles' temper snapped. Not caring that either of the females could effortlessly break him in two, he stepped between them. His face thunderous, he glared angrily at them both. "You're both acting like bloody pre-schoolers. Show a little decorum! Remember our priority is Xander!"  
  
Both of the women fell silent. Relieved, Giles glanced down at Xander and flinched. The boy had taken a hell of a beating, yet somehow clung gamely to consciousness. The boy's eyes fluttered weakly in recognition. "Giles, be careful. The vamps who attacked me were looking for any of Buffy's friends. Angelus wants us. Faith saved me. I asked her to come here to warn you all."  
  
"Hush son, just rest." Giles said comfortingly. Typical Xander, thinking of others first. "Thank you for your help, Faith, Buffy, could you please carry Xander out to my car."  
  
"I'm coming with you."  
  
Giles opened his mouth to argue with the raven-haired woman but seeing her determined look he nodded reluctantly. "Very well."  
  
* * *  
  
"Where's that stupid little bastard! There was a game on tonight and I get called out for this!"  
  
Giles glanced upwards with disgust at the man who had entered the ward. It was Xander's father, who he suspected beat the boy, all too often the Watcher had seen the young man move gingerly or with bruises on nights that he'd either not patrolled or the patrol had been trouble-free. He'd tried to talk to the youth about his injuries but Xander would either storm out or deflect his inquiries with a joke.  
  
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the dark haired woman pacing impatiently outside the door of Xander's room move into the centre of the corridor blocking the man's access. "You're not going anywhere near him," she said flatly.  
  
Anger flared in the thickset man's eyes. He snorted. "That little bastard might jump to your tune, but I don't. Get out of my way bitch!"  
  
A split second later and the man was pinned against the wall, Faith's forearm pressing against his throat. Beside the Watcher, Buffy began to stand, only for Giles to pull her down. "Wait," he ordered. He guessed that Ripper was going to enjoy what happened next.  
  
"Listen very carefully," snarled the enraged vampiress. "You're going no- where near Xander. Or should I say Alex?"  
  
The Englishman saw fear flicker in Mr. Harris' eyes. "You can't stop me from seeing my son, tramp!"  
  
The vanpiress slammed his left fist into the man's distended belly, causing him to croak in pain. "I think I can," Faith glanced towards Giles and Buffy, causing the Watcher to shudder at the coldness he saw in her eyes. "Cause if you turn up here you'll find one of us waiting for you, and they might not kill you. But," she leaned towards him until she was inches away from his face. "I have no such compunction."  
  
"I'm going to see you -."  
  
Giles winced as Faith slapped the man across his face, drawing blood from the bully's bottom lip. "You're not listening," he heard the vampiress growl menacingly. "You're son's under my protection now, and neither you nor anybody is going to hurt him again. One night there's going to be a knock at your door and it'll be me and Xand to pick up his things. And you'll smile nicely and invite us in. Understand?"  
  
The terrified man nodded quickly. The brunette smirked and tossed him aside. "Good." The vampiress turned her back on the retreating man and resumed her position  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
Buffy's whispered voice caused Giles to turn away from the vampiress and back to his Slayer. "I've believed for some time that Xander's father beats him. Apparently Faith found evidence that backs up that theory."  
  
The Slayer's mouth dropped open. "I never knew."  
  
"No, abuse victims often become adept at hiding the signs, somehow feeling they are to blame."  
  
"How do you know we can trust her?" The Slayer was staring at the vampiress with animosity. For her part the vampiress was looking back with a look of studied indifference.  
  
"The blood tears."  
  
The Slayer tore her gaze away from the vampiress to look at him, a look of total incomprehension on her face. "Eh?"  
  
"When she came into the library she was crying tears of blood," the Watcher explained patiently. "You've all seen vampires crying normal tears but they're just fakes. Because of their lack of a soul vampires cannot cry sincere tears because they cannot experience true sorrow. Legend has it that one day there will be an ensoulled vampire of tremendous power who will fight on the side of good. One of the signs of this vampire will be the tears of blood."  
  
"But how is this possible?"  
  
"I don't know, but I intend to find out." 


	3. Parenting

Blood Tears 3 - Parenting  
  
Faith gazed fondly at the sleeping boy. It was when he was asleep that he most reminded her of Bucky. Awake, he was too sharp-witted to be her little brother although he shared his sweetness and gentleness.  
  
The vampiress tensed as the scent of another human reached her nostrils only to relax when she recognised the scent. Hurrying down the stairs, she nodded politely at him, smiling slightly at his crimsoning cheeks as he took in the flimsiness of her dressing robe. "Mr. Giles."  
  
"Good morning Faith," the Watcher coughed nervously. "I trust you don't dress like that around Xander?"  
  
Her eyes sparkled with mischievous mirth. "Around a hormone-driven teenager? If I did, not even a Master vampire like myself would be able to fight him off." She glanced at the folder in the Watcher's hands. "Are those the papers you mentioned?"  
  
"They are."  
  
"Well, if you give me a moment I'll get dressed. The kitchen's through there if you want a cup of tea."  
  
"You have tea?"  
  
She winked at the Watcher. "I was turned in Boston remember? They have parties there over the stuff."  
  
"Ha, ha, ha. Yes and given your love of mischief making I'm sure you were at the original one."  
  
* * *  
  
"So how did it go last night?"  
  
The vampiress stared at the Watcher for a moment before answering. During the few days that had spanned Xander's hospital stay, she'd spent some time with Xander's friends. She'd found the Slayer and the Wicca to be over- protective and overly convinced that everything in the world could be categorised as either black or white. The Watcher though was a man of intellect and understood that the world had shades of grey. She liked him. "Five by five. Mr. Harris made a few threatening growls but I allowed my eyes to turn golden and that was enough to send him scurrying off into the garage."  
  
The Watcher chuckled before opening the file on his lap and passing the vampiress a sheet of papers.  
  
Faith stared at the papers blankly. Her backwoods upbringing meant that she had only the most rudimentary of schooling. Angelus, wishing for her to fit in to respectable society, had taught her to read and write, but she was at a loss with modern society having spent much of the past century on her back. "What is this?"  
  
"They're papers giving you custody of Xander until his 18th birthday under the name of Faith Anderson."  
  
With an effort Faith fought down a wave of panic. Custody? What sort of a parent could a 300 year old vampire make? She took a sip of her cup of blood, allowing its coppery taste to calm her. "Faith Anderson? Why the name change?"  
  
"I had to go through Council channels to get those papers," Giles explained. "I thought the name 'Faith Adams' might set off alarm bells, so I took the liberty of changing it. If that's alright?"  
  
The vampiress nodded slowly. "Adams is a name associated with depravity and butchery. Maybe I can use the name Anderson for nobler purposes."  
  
"Good, in that case." The Watcher dropped some other papers on the coffee table between them. "Those are a driver's licence, a birth certificate and a social security id made out in your new name."  
  
The vampiress glanced casually at the documents, after a moment her mouth dropped open. "You've made me 21! I was only 18 when I was turned!"  
  
The Watcher laughed at her outrage. "It's reassuring to see that even 300 year old vampiress are sensitive about their age. I only made you 21 because it made your adoption of Xander slightly less suspicious."  
  
"Five by five." The vampiress nodded, the humour in her eyes dying. "We haven't had any time to talk in private since I arrived in town. And I suppose you have questions."  
  
"Only about a million."  
  
Faith chuckled dryly. "Only one of us is immortal. Perhaps you better limit your questions to three or four."  
  
"How were you turned?"  
  
The vampiress grimaced, her stomach contracting in pain at the memory. "It was 1709 and I'd run away from home 3 years earlier to get away from my father's fists. I was working in a Boston brothel when this handsome Irishman turned up one night. Vampires can hypnotise mortals but Angelus never needed it. In three hundred years, he's the best looking man I've ever seen - like a young Elvis with a better body. I actually thought I was lucky when he chose me," she laughed bitterly. "The door to my room was still closing when we began tearing each other's clothes off. I screamed in pain when his ice cold hands touched my flesh for the first time. That only made him laugh and increase his efforts," she shuddered. "I've never been so brutalised. When he'd finished he morphed into a vampire and tore into me with his fangs. The next thing I remembered was feeding off the whorehouse madam." A long silence followed her sober recounting. Finally the Watcher spoke, his tone gentle. "And how did you get your soul returned?"  
  
"One of Angelus' favourite pastimes was watching from the shadows as I forced myself on other women who'd caught his eye. One night he saw a young Apache girl he liked the look of. We stole onto the reservation, Angelus, Spike and I. After I'd taken her, we all fed from her, before killing her. Then we were attacked by the tribe's young bucks, some thirty of them, we escaped but," Faith took an unneeded breath. "A tomahawk with my blood on it was cursed, giving me my soul back. Together with a shitload of guilt."  
  
"And when did this happen?"  
  
"1897."  
  
"And what have you done in the past one hundred years or so?"  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it." Tell a man you've been a whore and he might get ideas.  
  
The Watcher stared searchingly at her for a few moments before nodding. "As you wish. So why have you decided to help us now?"  
  
Faith glanced upwards in the direction of Xander's bedroom. "You've heard of my massacre of my family? At the Watcher's silent nod, she continued. "My parents weren't any prize, to be honest I regret killing them but it is not one of the acts that plagues me the most. But my little brother," her voice began to shake. "Little Bucky, he was the only person I ever loved. Loved his smile and laughter. Loved telling sitting him with him and telling him fairy tales and bedtime stories. The night I returned home, he was so pleased to see his big sis." The vampiress closed her eyes against the pain. "Sometimes I still hear his screams as we tortured him."  
  
"Good lord."  
  
"Xander, Xander looks so much like Bucky would have at the same age if I hadn't," Faith's voice grew husky. "If he hadn't died, that it hurts sometimes. But with him I get a second chance and I won't fail him like I failed my brother."  
  
"And are you ready to be there for him? Not just as a protector but as a parent too?"  
  
The vampiress' face twisted in indecision. "I don't know. I've spent nearly two hundred years massacring and butchering families and entire villages, but I haven't got a clue about being a parent. I just know I won't let anybody hurt him and that I can't do a worse job than his father."  
  
Giles nodded and stood. "Truth be told I've often wondered who's the worst - a human fully aware and able to make their own decisions about what's right and wrong or a vampire controlled by a demon and unable to control their urges. I had my suspicions about Xander's father but whenever I approached the boy about them he would just clam up." The Watcher looked the vampiress in the eye "Xander seems to respond well to you, I believe that's half the battle of being a parent. You have my number. If you need any help with Xander, anything at all, call me at any time. Even if it's just someone to talk to."  
  
Faith nodded gratefully. "Thank you." 


	4. Bonding

Blood Tears 4 - Bonding  
  
"Wake up sleepy."  
  
Xander's eyes fluttered open at the sultry voice. Where was he? He smiled slowly as he remembered. "Hi Faith."  
  
"Hi, sleepy-head." The vampiress smiled and ruffled his hair. "It's nearly ten in the morning. Hadn't you better get up?"  
  
Xander grinned up at the woman sat on the edge of his bed. "Don't you know it's in the American Constitution that teenagers don't get up on Saturday mornings?"  
  
The vampiress chuckled throatily. "Kid, I was around when they did the first draft. Don't try and BS me. Now, out of bed."  
  
"Sure boss," he noticed the vampiress was still smiling. "So what's made you so disgustingly chirpy?"  
  
"Got your custody papers this morning off Giles. I own your ass, boy."  
  
"That's great," a mischievous gleam entered his eyes. "My mum ran out on me when I was four months old so I never got the hang of breast feeding. If you're my new mum maybe," he mock leered. "I should practice on yours."  
  
The vampiress laughed before playfully slapping his legs. "I'm not your mother. Think of me as an older sister." Still chuckling, Faith made for the door.  
  
"Much older," Xander muttered under his breath.  
  
"I heard that!"  
  
* * *  
  
Faith glanced over her mug of blood at the youth wolfing down pancakes across the kitchen table from her. He certainly enjoyed her cooking, a by- product of her early days slaving for her father. She smiled, at least that part of being a parent was easy. "So do you want to tell met about your family?" In all the time in hospital she'd never brought it up, not wanting to distress him but now.  
  
The boy paused in his pancake massacre, putting his knife and fork down, he looked at her, his eyes full with pain. "I never really knew my mum, like I said before, she ran out on me when I was just a baby. Not that I blame her, dad's a real bastard. I just wish she'd taken me with her, guess she didn't love me enough to care." The boy looked at the floor.  
  
Her heart filling with anger at the anguish she saw in the boy, she reached across the table and took his hands. "You can't know that Xand, maybe your dad forced her to leave. Maybe she wanted to take you but couldn't, maybe your dad wouldn't let her."  
  
"Maybe." The boy didn't look convinced. "My dad, when I was little, never took me took the movies or a ball game or anything, just ignored me really but that was okay 'cause Willow and Jesse's parents always made sure I was included in their stuff. But when I was six, it got a lot worse. Dad lost this big job, started drinking heavily. One night I slammed the door too loudly when I came in from school. Next thing I knew, I was led on the floor, my head ringing. Since then, the slightest thing would set him off."  
  
"Oh Xand," Faith whispered. Inside her the demon was chuckling with sadistic glee even as her soul ached. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"  
  
"I told Jesse." The boy looked down at the table.  
  
That name again. "Who's Jesse?"  
  
If the vampiress had thought the youth looked sad before, now he looked heart-broken. "Me, Will and Jesse were the three musketeers, inseparable since first grade. Then the night Buffy arrived in town, he was turned by the Master's goon, Luke. The next night, I had to kill him to protect the school bitch, the girl I hate most in the world."  
  
The vampiress moved over to the distraught youth and hugged him close. After a few seconds she pulled away. "So what you doing today champ?"  
  
The boy's face brightened. "Well, this afternoon Willow and Buffy have asked me to go with them to the mall, then tonight we're patrolling."  
  
"No you are not!" Faith exclaimed firmly. At the boy's involuntary flinch, she moderated her tone remembering that the boy was all too used to raised voices being followed by violence. "Xander, you've had a nasty concussion. You've had three fingers on your right hand and two ribs broken. Do you really think you're in any shape to patrol?" she finished gently before continuing. "Besides I saw those books Red brought with her last night. I assume they weren't Playboy annuals?"  
  
"Playboy does annuals?" At a look from her, Xander hurried on. "No it was homework from school."  
  
"Good," Faith nodded. "Then in that case you can do the homework on the computer after you get in from the mall and then," the vampiress paused for dramatic effect. "We'll go to the movies at ten."  
  
"Really?" Xander's eyes lit up. "My choice?"  
  
"Your choice," Faith agreed with a fond smile. "Faith," the boy began nervously. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Ask away hon."  
  
"Well, when you rescued me you tore through those vamps like paper. You were awesome, while all I know about fighting is," the boy smiled painfully. "Is how to take a punch and how to fall. I was kind of hoping you could teach me how to fight."  
  
"You know I'm far stronger, faster and tougher than you could ever hope to be."  
  
The boy nodded. "I know, but I was kind of hoping you could help me get into condition, improve my reflexes and teach me how to throw a punch, that sort of thing. If I could fight better I could help Buff more."  
  
The vampiress considered his request for a few seconds before nodding. "I'll train you. On one condition, you get your D average up to a B."  
  
"Fai -."  
  
"No arguments," she cut in sternly. "Your father might not have cared about your future but I do, you've got a quick mind and you can do a lot better than you have been doing in school. I've talked to Giles and he also says you're capable of much more if you were more disciplined. And if you hope to become a better fighter you'll have to learn discipline."  
  
The youth nodded slowly. "In that case, I better hit the books."  
  
The vampiress smiled sadly as the boy hurried out of the room. Had any young man spoke about her the way Xander spoke about Buffy or looked at her with the adoration he saw in his eyes at just the mention of her name? No, she decided forlornly, her relationships with men had usually consisted of them banging their money down and telling her what position to assume.  
  
* * *  
  
"So what's it like living with a vampiress?" Willow asked between slurps of her chocolate milkshake. Beside her Buffy waited intently for Xander's answer.  
  
"Weird, with the curtains closed at all times and blood in the fridge thing, but still way better than home, don't have to worry about Faith coming home having had a brewski too many. And she actually asked me about myself, like what music I liked and films and stuff, guess my dad still thought I still play with the Action Man helicopter he got me when I was seven." He looked downcast for a second before brightening. "Said I had to do better at school so she bought me this new computer that's top of the range and she's promised to take me to the movies tonight." "You're not patrolling with us?" Buffy asked casually, ignoring her feelings of disappointment.  
  
Xander raised his plastered hand. "Look at me, Buff. I couldn't fight off Mr. Gordo much less a vampire, besides Faith said I can't -."  
  
"Fine!" The Slayer slammed her fist on the table, making everybody's plates and cups jump. "If the great Faith thinks I can't protect you she must be right. Give me the money, I'll pay." After the others had wordlessly handed their money over, she stalked off to the counter, a scowl firmly in place. "Couldn't protect him, uh? Who's been doing it for the last year? Not the great Faith, me!" she muttered.  
  
* * *  
  
"So you enjoy that, Xand?"  
  
"Sure did," Xander smiled at the beautiful woman stood beside him. In just the single day he'd been living with her, she'd shown more interest in him than his dad had in the last year. His stride faltered as he realised they were being surrounded by a trio of men in their late twenties.  
  
"Well look what we got here," leered one of them, his tongue licking his fleshy lips. "A real prime piece of meat." The man looked at Xander and laughed. "Run along home, boy. Big sis is going to entertain us tonight."  
  
Xander felt a surge of anger. "Why don't you -." He was silenced by Faith's gentle hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I'll deal with this Xand." Her voice was soft but there was something about her tone that chilled him to the bone.  
  
The man standing in front of the vampiress had clearly missed it however. Leering, he stepped forward. "What you need to worry about is taking care of us, babe."  
  
To Xander, what happened next was a blur. Faith's right foot flickered sideways, catching the man to her right in the stomach, doubling him up. In the same movement, her leg arched upwards and swung round to catch the man in front of her in the jaw with bone-shattering impact. Even as the man began to topple to the ground, she pivoted round and grabbed hold of the man that had been to her left by the pants crotch and shirt collar. With seemingly effortless power, the vampiress picked the man up and threw him into the man she'd kicked in the stomach. The two men crashed to the ground, their heads cracking painfully on the pavement. "Oh boy," Xander looked from the groaning bodies to the vampiress in awe. "I suppose it's a bad time to mention the towels I left on the bathroom floor?"  
  
The vampiress laughed musically before swatting him playfully on the back of his head. "Just don't let it happen again." 


	5. Visitors

Blood Tears 5 - Visitors  
  
Giles nodded politely at the vampiress sat opposite him. "I'll certainly investigate your curse for you. It could be quite an interesting project. If I may ask, why are you concerned with it now?"  
  
Faith shrugged. "If it comes with an expiry date or conditions, I want to know about it. It would be really stupid to let it lapse or break any conditions through ignorance."  
  
"Indeed it would, you'd have to be exceptionally foolish," the Watcher agreed. "If I might ask why haven't you researched it yourself in the past century?"  
  
"I guess I haven't cared about anybody enough to give a damn before, but I won't risk the demon gaining control and hurting him."  
  
'Him' could only be Xander. In the few weeks since the vampiress' arrival in Sunnydale, the young man had grown quieter yet more confident, shedding much of the buffoonery he had hidden behind previously. As the Watcher had suspected there was an intelligent and thoughtful young man hidden beneath the protective shell built up through years of abuse. "There was another favour you wanted?"  
  
"Oh yes," the vampiress reached inside her leather jacket, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "I was wondering if you could order these items for me? I'll reimburse you of-course."  
  
Giles' eyes widened as he read the list. "Just what are you intending to do."  
  
"Train Xander."  
  
"What's the point? I mean he's such a klutz."  
  
Giles saw the flicker of golden in the vampiress' eyes a split second before she launched herself out of her seat, grabbed a newly arrived Buffy around the throat and slammed her into the nearest bookcase. "That 'klutz' has fought by your side for months, risking his life for you for some unknown reason you little -."  
  
The Slayer slammed her feet into the vampiress' midsection sending her flying across the library. Even as the two women sprang up, Giles hurried between them, backing Faith up with a crucifix and Buffy with a furious glare. "Ladies, have a little bloody respect for my library!" he roared. Turning to the vampiress, he continued his onslaught. "At your age, I'd have thought you would have learnt a little more self-control." Her face enraged, the vampiress turned and strode out of the library.  
  
"You told her -."  
  
"Oh do shut up Buffy! For some reason, despite all the times you've belittled him, that boy keeps on coming back for more, just as loyal as before. I'm at a loss as to why you persist in treating him so badly."  
  
Suddenly the Slayer began sobbing. "Because if everybody believes he doesn't mean anything to me he won't be a target. But I...I love him."  
  
"Oh Buffy." The Watcher pulled the small blonde towards him and allowed her to cry onto his chest.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'll be there in a second," Faith hollered as she stalked towards the door. Noting the sun still out, she stepped back from the door as she opened it, out of the sun's range. In the entrance stood a beautiful brunette wearing a stylish black dress. "Yes?" She didn't recognise the girl but could only assume she was one of Xander's school friends.  
  
"Does Xander Harris live here?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good," the shapely brunette stepped into the house without waiting to be invited. "Cordelia Chase. Where's his room?" The girl's tan began to pale as she took in the closed curtains and lack of mirrors. "Oh god, you're a vampire."  
  
"Yep." Faith slammed the door shut with a kick, causing her guest to jump before continuing. "Fortunately for you an ensoulled one. So why did you want to see him?"  
  
The brunette continued to regard her uncertainly before speaking. "He saved my life a while back, stopped a vampire called Jesse from killing me. I'd sort of like to make sure he's okay."  
  
Faith arched an eyebrow. So this was the school bitch Xander had spoken about. Who apparently, if the amount of pheromones she was emitting was any indicator, cared for Xander a lot more than he suspected. She realised the girl was staring at her impatiently. "Go up, he's the second on the right."  
  
The girl nodded before hurrying upstairs. Faith waited at the bottom of the stairs for a few seconds before going into the front room, smirking slightly at the snippet of conversation she overheard.  
  
"Cordy! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well duh, seeing that you're alright. I wouldn't want anything to happen to my favourite verbal punch bag. You realise you're living with a vampire?"  
  
"What gave it away - the lack of mirrors?"  
  
"You live in a house without mirrors!! That explains your clothes!"  
  
* * *  
  
Faith opened the front door, her mouth dropping open at the small figure stood outside. "Bbb," she stuttered in surprise, it was just about the last person she expected to see.  
  
The Slayer coughed nervously before speaking. "Hi Faith, can I come in?"  
  
"Xander's not in," replied Faith. "He's at Willow's."  
  
"I know, I asked Willow to invite him on a sleepover so we could talk."  
  
The vampiress hesitated before forcing a smile. "You better come in."  
  
The Slayer followed her silently into the front room. "So what is it you want to talk about?" Faith demanded once they were both seated.  
  
"You're right about the way I treat Xand, I am horrible to him," the Slayer's face twisted in misery. "But it's only because I care about him. I don't want him to be target for anyone who comes after me. B..but Giles made me realise that it was wrong."  
  
The vampiress hid a smile. Xander certainly had something - Willow, the girl Cordelia and Buffy all after him. And of course her.  
  
Where did that come from? Did she really think of him like that? She thought back to all the times he'd made her laugh, all the occasions she woken from one of her screaming nightmares to see him coming through her bedroom door to check she was alright and the way he talked to her, valuing her thoughts and opinions like no other man had ever done before. Realising that the Slayer was staring at her expectantly, she forced a blank expression on her face. "So what do you want from me?"  
  
"I realise that we'll probably never be friends, but maybe we can work together to keep Giles, Xander and the others safe."  
  
Her mind still reeling from her earlier realisation, the vampiress nodded dazedly. "I can do that."  
  
"Thanks," the Slayer stood.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Patrol."  
  
Faith hesitated for a second, the blonde had offered an olive branch, and she should grasp it. "Want company?"  
  
The Slayer smiled uncertainly before nodding. "Sure." 


	6. Revealed Secrets

Author's Note: Getting feedback from a lot of you expressing distaste about Faith's relationship with Xander. While I understand your reservations I don't agree and here's why:-  
  
1. Angel's and Buffy's was always far more disturbing to me. Here's a guy who looks to be in his mid to late twenties making goo eyes at 15 yr old. At least in my story Faith's a year to two years older in looks than Xander. We've got a word for guys like that people.  
  
2. Faith originally comes to town because of Xander looking like her brother sure, but that's not why she falls in love with him - subtle difference.  
  
3. The adopted child issue. Okay, you got me there, I admit that's a tad disturbing. In my defence I would have to say that surely it's better for Xander to be with someone that cares for him than his bastard of a father.  
  
All that said, keep the feedback coming gang, it's much appreciated (nearly as much as the food parcels).  
  
Blood Tears 6 - Revealed Secrets  
  
"So how long have you been training Xander?"  
  
Faith started at the Slayer's question. They'd been patrolling for an hour and it was the first time that either of them had broken the uncomfortable silence that had existed since leaving her and Xander's house. Collecting her thoughts, the vampiress replied. "I let him have the first week off to recuperate from his injuries, so three weeks in all."  
  
"And what have you been doing?"  
  
"I want to get him in shape before I start actual combat training with him so we've been running every night as soon as night falls. He's been doing quite well too, slowly but surely improving."  
  
"I run in the mornings, he could come with me," the Slayer said eagerly. "It's bound to be safer for him than at night."  
  
The vampiress hesitated. On the one hand, she enjoyed running with Xander, seeing the pride in his eyes as he knocked seconds off his best time and his smile when she praised his efforts. On the other, they'd been attacked on two occasions, once by vampires and once by a gang of thugs. She'd been able to deal with the threats, but it would be selfish of her to risk Xander's safety if there was another option. Forcing a smile, the vampiress nodded. "That's a very good idea B. If you organise it with Xand, that'll be good."  
  
"I could help you with his other training when the equipment comes too."  
  
Thinking back to the sparring sessions she'd seen between the Slayer and Giles, Faith shook her head. "No thank you," seeing the Slayer open her mouth to protest, Faith hurried to explain. "B, I've seen you spar and you're an excellent fighter. But there's two problems with you training with Xand. One, because of your special abilities you do a lot of moves that just aren't feasible for an ordinary mortal, trying to teach Xand to fight like you would be a waste of time, so I'm going with a more ground- orientated style that utilises Judo and Aikido techniques and concentrates on using your opponent's strength against them. Secondly, I've seen you spar with Giles and although Giles is very talented for a mortal, you completely out-class him. Now Giles is secure enough in his own abilities and worth for it not to hurt his ego too much, but Xand," Faith's tone hardened. "Thanks to his darling father has a huge inferiority complex."  
  
Disappointment filled the Slayer's green eyes but eventually she nodded. "Okay," she said her voice small. "It's just that I want to help him as much as possible. I've been so horrible to him."  
  
Her heart aching at the pain she heard in the blonde's voice, Faith placed a comforting hand on the younger woman's shoulder. She'd obviously badly misjudged the Slayer. The way she'd treated Xander had not been caused by callousness and indifference but by insecurity and fear. "He's doing all this because he loves you," she said softly, her heart breaking as she spoke.  
  
Some of the pain she felt must have made its way into her voice because the Slayer's eyes widened. "You love him too!"  
  
Before Faith had a chance to utter a half-hearted denial to the blonde, she sensed the approach of vampires. For once thankful to her brethren, she turned to face the intruders. "Vamps, nine of them."  
  
"This is so not over," warned the Slayer before also turning to face the vampires surrounding them. "So guys," she asked cheerfully. "Which one wants sweeping up first?"  
  
Without waiting for an answer, the Slayer exploded into action, her body a blur as she threw herself at the approaching vampires. Faith preferred a more relaxed approach. Palming a stake, she waited for them to reach her. She didn't have to wait long.  
  
Ducking beneath a wild haymaker, she came up inside her adversary's defences. His eyes widened in shock as she plunged her stake into his heart. Grinning slightly, the vampiress smashed a forearm into the face of an attacker to her left, sending teeth flying. A small hand landed on her shoulder from behind, grabbing it, the vampiress executed a judo throw and threw a blonde-haired vampiress to the ground at her feet, crouching she quickly staked the vampiress before standing again. Twisting round as she heard a footfall behind her, she sent a foot crashing into his gut, splintering ribs and sending her attacker fall to the ground.  
  
Faith spun back round to face the vampire she'd hit in the mouth and screamed in agony as the vampire thrust a knife hilt-deep into her stomach. Ignoring the pain that reverberated through her body, the vampiress pulled away from her attacker, wrenching loose his grip on the knife, before stepping back in with a head butt to the face, quickly followed by a stake to the heart.  
  
The side of her head exploded in pain as a powerfully swung beer bottle crashed into it. Blinking furiously to clear her vision, Faith staggered round to face her assailant only to take another hard blow to the face. Suddenly her attacker, a hulking black vampire, lifted her into the air. Even as she plunged her final stake into its heart, the vampire flung her into the air.  
  
The vampiress' landing was broken by a tombstone that shattered under the impact. Groaning at the agony racing through her body, Faith tucked her legs underneath her for a leap up only for the vampire she'd earlier kicked in the stomach to grab her right leg and twist it violently, breaking it at the knee.  
  
Unable to contain her pain, Faith screamed. His ugly face set in sadistic glee, the vampire drove a dagger through her right arm pinning it to the ground. "Like that bitch?" the vampire sneered before grabbing her chin roughly. "Angelus' orders are we kill you on sight. Shame really. You're a real babe, still I'll get the pick of the town's women after I've offed you. Unless," his hand moved down her body, stopping at her breasts and roughly squeezing them, "you wanna make me a better offer?"  
  
Lacking the strength to reply, Faith glared up defiantly and spat in her opponent's face. The vampire chuckled. "Guess that's a no then." He reached inside his duster and pulled out an axe.  
  
* * *  
  
As she finished off her fourth vampire, Buffy saw Faith's last attacker raise an axe. For a split second, she considered leaving the vampire to kill her rival for Xander's affections but even as the idea occurred, she rejected it. Racing over to the vampiress, she covered the last feet with a diving leap before clotheslining the vampire to the ground, grabbing its dropped axe and decapitating the beast with a single swing.  
  
Dropping the axe, she hurried over to the groaning vampiress. If the vampiress had been human, she would have probably been dead from the shock alone. The left side of her face was completely caved in, while the right side had a deep gash above a rapidly swelling eye. The knife wound in her belly was about five inches wide, while the knife in her right bicep had gone completely through and the bone of her right leg had torn through the skin just below the knee.  
  
The disgust Buffy felt must have shown on her face because the vampiress smiled painfully. "Thanks for the save B, I think my plan of lulling him into a false sense of security went a little too far."  
  
Buffy forced a replying smile. "Well you had me convinced." She looked at the knife embedded through Faith's upper arm. "This is going to hurt," she warned before grabbing the blade and pulling it out.  
  
Faith screamed out, her shriek echoing through the Slayer's ears. "You weren't kidding," the vampiress panted in pain. "If you can help me home, I'll be right by the morning."  
  
Buffy shook her head. "My place's closer."  
  
"You don't understand," the vampiress looked away, her face ashamed. "I need blood to recover."  
  
"Oh," an entirely unpleasant idea occurred to the Slayer. "I'm betting that Slayer's blood's better than normal blood." At Faith's weak nod, she sighed and sliced her forearm open with the knife she'd pulled from Faith's bicep and held her bleeding arm above the brunette's mouth.  
  
The vampiress gasped as the blood dripped into her mouth, her fangs lengthened and her eyes glittered golden. When the blood had finished flowing into her mouth, Faith nodded gratefully. "Thanks."  
  
"I didn't do it for you, I did it for Xander," replied Buffy stiffly. Her tone masked the conflicting emotions inside her. Since her earlier conversation with the vampiress and looking at the simple gratitude in the vampiress' eyes, she'd begun regarding the vampiress not as a barely tolerated evil but as a welcome ally. "Can you stand now?"  
  
The vampiress nodded. "But you'll have to help me."  
  
* * *  
  
"Nine killed!" The handsome, powerfully built vampire's fist slammed into the wooden table before him, smashing it in two. "Damn that Slayer! And damn that treacherous bitch!" Angelus' eyes blazed with fury at the thought of his childe. For the first 150 years of his unlife, he'd stalked the world alone, taking and discarding women as he'd wished. She'd been the first to catch his eye as a potential mater and how did she repay his generosity? By betraying him!  
  
At his rage, the majority of the vampires retreated from the room. One of the few to remain was a bleached blond with a ripcord lean physique and a deadly grace unusual even amongst his race. "Calm down mate," drawled the vampire, his accent that of a working-class Cockney, an expression of mirth flickering across his chiselled features. "If you had a working heart you'd have a bloody stroke."  
  
Angelus' eyes glittered dangerously. "Be very careful Spike," he warned coldly. "I want the whore's little brat. From all accounts, she dotes on him. If we torture him to death then send his body back to her pieces, we'll drive her mad."  
  
"And how do you propose to do that, dear old dad?" asked Spike as he dropped into a chair, draping one leg over a chair arm. "She watches the whelp like a bloody hawk."  
  
"You catch more flies with honey than shit," cooed a female voice. The speaker, a gorgeous blonde who looked to be in her early twenties, stepped out of the shadows and kissed Angelus hungrily on the lips. "Why don't you let me and Dru get him for you?"  
  
"Yes daddy please." The vampiress who spoke was a slender woman with long wavy brown hair, exotic features and more than a hint of insanity in her eyes. "Let us," she pressed into Angelus' side."  
  
A smile on his face, Angelus turned to the blonde. "Does my Darla have a plan?"  
  
The blonde smiled evilly. "I have a plan." 


	7. Agony Giles

Blood Tears 7 - Agony Giles  
  
"Oh hello Faith, how are your injuries healing?"  
  
The vampiress smiled at the Englishman. They'd conspired to keep her injuries away from Xander but Giles, as Buffy's Watcher, had had to be informed and his concern had been quite touching. "I'm fully healed now, Mr. Giles, thank you. May I come in?"  
  
"Certainly, please come in." The school librarian hesitated before standing aside. "Would you like a tea Faith?"  
  
The brunette resisted the urge to chuckle. How typically English to offer tea to a visitor, even if the visitor was a vampiress. "Thank you, but no," she replied politely.  
  
"The front room's the first door on the right. I'll be with you in a few minutes."  
  
After smiling her thanks to the Englishman, the vampiress moved silently through the house and into the lounge. It was largely as she had envisaged. Two bookcases filled with poetry books, classic literature and hefty volumes on the occult were set behind the sofa, while the room's furniture and furnishings were expensive but tasteful. Seeing a CD rack fastened to the wall beside the television, she walked over to inspect its contents. A surprised expression spread across her face as she found CDs from Led Zepplin, The Cult and The Sex Pistols. Not quite the Mozart, Bach and Beethoven she'd expected.  
  
"Good lord. I see you've found my dirty secret. I was in a heavy metal band in the seventies."  
  
The vampiress laughed. "I'd have paid good money to see that. You don't have to worry, I won't tell the others."  
  
Giles chuckled dryly. "That's the least of my worries. They wouldn't have a clue who you were talking about. Those kids are bloody philistines."  
  
"Oh I know, I was discussing music with Xander the other night and he didn't have a clue who Chuck Berry was." Faith dropped down into the chair opposite the Watcher.  
  
The Englishman sipped at his tea before speaking. "I've managed to acquire a transcript of your curse and handed it over for translation to a friend of mine who's a professor of Native American languages at Berkley."  
  
"Thank you," Faith nodded gratefully. "But that isn't why I'm here. I've got a problem with Xander."  
  
"Oh really?" Giles sipped at his tea. "I thought he was doing better at school."  
  
"It's nothing he's done. I.it's me." The Watcher arched an eyebrow. "You?"  
  
"I," Faith was surprised how hard this was. She supposed this was the sort of conversation she should have had with her father about her first boyfriend, if he'd cared enough about her to give a damn. "Think I'm developing feelings for him."  
  
Giles' mouth dropped open. "Ah, oh, um."  
  
It was Faith's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Your advice is really helpful, I can see all those degrees come in very useful. It gets worse."  
  
"Worse!" Giles looked like he was choking. "I'm afraid to ask."  
  
"I also believe Red, B and Cordelia are also attracted to him."  
  
Giles started to rub furiously at his forehead. "Well, Willow seems to have developed an interest in Daniel Osborne, a guitarist in a local band. But still, a vampiress, a Slayer and a Cordelia. Not even young Mr. Harris deserves that!"  
  
Faith grimaced. This was going worse than she'd thought possible. The Englishman must have read her expression because he smiled comfortingly at her. "I'm sorry dear, I'm sure that wasn't the reaction you were looking for. Why don't you tell me why you feel this way?"  
  
She nodded uncertainly. After a few seconds gathering her thoughts she began. "All my life men have treated me as a tool. First my father who treated me as a punching bag and unpaid servant, then all the men who used me as a whore and finally Angelus. Only you and Xand have ever bothered to take account of what I had to say, to treat me as if I count. Xand's so sweet and gentle, sometimes I'll have nightmares about the things I've done and I'll wake screaming and more often than not I'll wake to find his arms around me, comforting me. Nobody's ever made me feel like he does. I feel such pride when he gets determined to help you all and when he smiles it's almost enough to get my heart beating again. But then I look at him and I think how could it ever work?"  
  
"While Buffy is like a daughter to me I am also quite fond of both you and Cordelia, who has her positives despite all outward appearances, too. What all three of you have to bear in mind is that it is his choice which if any of you he chooses to step out with."  
  
"But after all I've done, do I deserve a chance at happiness?" The vampiress felt blood red tears begin to well.  
  
The Watcher passed her a tissue before speaking. "The Faith I've come to know is a completely different entity to the one I've read about in my books. This Faith is a good person and deserves to be loved and be happy."  
  
Faith smiled, it was rare for her to hear praise, particularly from someone she herself respected. "Thank you Mr. Giles."  
  
Giles nodded. "Quite all right dear. However all that said, a relationship between a human and a vampiress has a number of unique problems. What if, in the throes of passion, you lose control and feed?"  
  
"That's not an issue," Faith replied flatly thinking of all the men who'd used her in the past one hundred years since she'd regained her soul.  
  
"Very well," Giles gazed at her searchingly before nodding. "You've got to consider that you'll never be able to have children together, that might not matter to him but it may. That you'll never be able to walk in the sunlight together. And finally that you'll remain unchanged by the passing of time, that you'll have to watch him age and die. He may hate you in the end for staying young."  
  
Faith's stomach clenched at the thought of Xander dying but her voice remained steady. "Whatever happens I'll always be there for him, watching over him. It doesn't matter who he's with."  
  
"Well, these are the things you need to consider both on your own and with Xander if you start a relationship."  
  
"You're not exactly giving me questions with easy answers."  
  
A sympathetic smile played on the Watcher's lips. "I'm afraid life isn't like an exam paper. There aren't any right or wrong answers."  
  
"Well thanks for your advice." Standing, Faith acted on impulse, leaned across the table and kissed the surprised Watcher on the cheek. "Jenny is a lucky lady."  
  
The Englishman's face turned crimson. "I wasn't aware our relationship was public knowledge."  
  
Faith chuckled. "Pheromones Giles, pheromones."  
  
"Ah, of course. And where is Sunnydale's very own answer to Casanova tonight?"  
  
"If he knows what's good for him, studying at home." 


	8. Curfews

Blood Tears 8 - Curfews  
  
Xander beat his palms on the table before him in tune with the blaring music being blared out by The Dingoes Ate My Baby. He was completely and utterly bored, as soon as Faith had disappeared to consult Giles on some matter or other, he'd sneaked out to have a rare night out from under her watchful eye with Willow and Buffy. Only trouble was he'd forgotten to check if they were 'Bronzing' tonight. "Great planning Xander," he muttered.  
  
"You look lonely handsome."  
  
He glanced up at the owner of the seductive voice, the smart reply he'd already thought up dying on his suddenly drying lips at the blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty stood before him. "Hi," he said lamely.  
  
"Hi?" the woman giggled musically, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "That's not the most enthusiastic greeting I've heard. Mind if I sit down?"  
  
"B..be my guest," Xander stuttered. Smooth, Xander, real smooth, you're a real heartbreaker.  
  
The blonde smiled as she slid into the seat beside him. "Hi, I'm Darla. Do you mind if my friend Drusilla joins us?"  
  
The youth glanced up to see a raven-haired finely featured woman expectantly staring down at him. "Sure." I've died and gone to heaven. "Oh, my name's Xander by the way."  
  
"We know," the blonde ran her tongue across his cheek before whispering in his ear. "Angelus so wants to meet you."  
  
Xander's blood froze. Oh boy, he'd really done it this time. His hand began to edge for the crucifix inside his jacket only for Darla to grab his arm in a grip that should have impossible for such a slight woman. "Don't," warned the vampiress, for a second her eyes glittered golden before returning to their usual ocean blue. "You start anything and our five friends will massacre this entire club. Come quietly and nobody, except you, will be hurt."  
  
"And I'm supposed to fall for that? You're the one soulless bloodsucker who can keep their word? Don't think so!" Xander glanced around the club, his spirits sinking as he registered the presence of several vampires dotted at the booths surrounding him. His voice remained steady but he could barely hear himself over his heart's pounding.  
  
He gasped in agony as Drusilla reached beneath the table and squeezed his groin painfully. "Don't be rude kitten. These nice men are just our protection to make sure nothing happens to Angelus' pretty girls and his prize. When we leave so do they." Xander's shoulders slumped in defeat. If he made a move he might escape but dozens could die, he couldn't sacrafice others to save himself. "Okay," he muttered. "You win, I'll come with you." Maybe outside he could make a move, escape or at least put up enough resistance to get killed rather than face the tortures they had planed for him.  
  
He winced as Drusilla ran her ice cold hands through his hair and nibbled at his ear. "Mummy knew her little kitten would be good."  
  
"That's me, house-broken."  
  
"You will be," Darla promised.  
  
Xander shuddered at the threat in the vampiress' words and the sadistic glee in her smile. Suddenly an unexpected voice broke into his terror. "So Loser Boy, has the Geek Patrol got some new members?"  
  
The youth's head snapped up to look at Cordelia. He didn't think he'd ever seen a more beautiful sight. Thinking quickly, he spoke, praying that his message got through. "Oh look it's the school bitch," he said scornfully. "Why don't you go and hang with your sheep Harmony and Willow. Go and tell them about my new girls Darla and Drusilla."  
  
Her face contorted with fury, the cheerleader hurried off. Darla leaned over. "Good boy," she purred into his ear. "If you'd have warned her I'd have made you eat her liver." Xander swallowed hard, he just hoped Cordelia got his hidden message, otherwise he was worse than dead.  
  
* * *  
  
"School bitch! Who does Xander 'White Trash' Harris think he's talking to?" muttered Cordelia as she strode angrily away. Just wait until she told his friends what he'd said. Suddenly she faltered in her angry march. Willow, she'd never hang with Rosenberg in public, something was wrong.  
  
The cheerleader glanced over her shoulder, noting the look of horror on Xander's face she looked desperately through the teeming crowd for someone to help her. Finally she found someone. "Amy, come here."  
  
Amy Madison reluctantly made her way through the crowd, a scowl on her pretty face. "Cordelia, I've already told you I can't do a riches spell."  
  
Cordelia waved away the Wicca's words. "Forget about that," she said impatiently. "I need you to do a spell to kill the two women with Xander."  
  
Amy's eyes widened. "No way, I'm not killing your love rivals for you."  
  
"Love rivals!" Cordelia shook her head, Xander and her - as if. "They're vampires!"  
  
Now Amy's mouth dropped open. "Vampires!" She shook her head. "I can't, I don't have that sort of power."  
  
"Oh damn it, where's Willow when you need her." Cordelia thought hard for a few seconds. "Can you do a spell where we can find Xander wherever he is?"  
  
"A locator spell, sure," Amy stared hard at Xander through the crowd for a few seconds. "It's done."  
  
Cordelia nodded. Now she needed to grab her car and hurry to the library to tell Giles what had happened. The cheerleader slapped her forehead. Her car was in the garage, she'd got a ride here tonight. "Have you got a car?" Amy shook her head. Groaning, she glanced around the bar. Seeing a familiar face, she pushed imperiously through the crowd, dragging Amy behind her.  
  
"Oz! I need your help. Xander's in trouble!"  
  
The orange-haired musician raised an eyebrow before carefully placing his guitar down against the stage. "Looks like the kind of trouble most guys would like," he commented laconically.  
  
"They're going to kidnap him!"  
  
"I refer you to my previous answer."  
  
"They're vampires."  
  
Oz's eyes widened. "I'm a sidekick. Don't do head-long charges into danger. I see my role as cheering from the sidelines."  
  
"We have to get to the library and tell Giles and Buffy."  
  
Oz nodded. "My van's outside."  
  
* * *  
  
Xander watched out of the corner of his eye as Cordelia, Amy and Oz hurried out of the club. It seemed his plan had worked, alarms had sounded in Cordy's head. All he needed to do was buy himself some time. "So that's the torturing of my body, arms and legs covered. But you haven't told me what you intend to do to my feet yet?" It was an effort to keep his tone casual.  
  
Drusilla's mouth opened but Darla gestured her to silence. "He's stalling. Let's get out of here." He opened his mouth to protest only for his words to turn into a yelp when Darla yanked him upright by his hair.  
  
"Tonight, definitely not one of my favourite experiences," he muttered as he was escorted out of the club. 


	9. Double D

Blood Tears 9 - Double D  
  
"You say he said they were called Darla and Drusilla?"  
  
To the Watcher it looked as if Faith was about to faint. "Do you know them?" he asked gently.  
  
"Oh I know 'em all right," she said bitterly. "After Angelus and I sired Spike, he would often complain on the nights Angelus wouldn't allow him to join us. After a while Angelus got sick of his moaning and one night in 1842, we stole onto a Virginian plantation, killed the family and made Darla for Spike," the vampiress faltered. "Then after I got my soul back, I was desperate to belong so I chased after Angelus and begged him to take me back. Instead he was disgusted by the 'taint' of a soul and gave me to Darla and Drusilla, who he'd turned to keep Spike company after he'd taken Darla to replace me, to 'play with'." Faith's voice began to tremble. "Darla had always hated me because I was Angelus' favourite and now she got her revenge. Every morning they'd whip me then pour holy water into my wounds or cut me with knives with consecrated blades. In the afternoon, they'd put on gloves and press crucifixes into my naked body. At night, Spike and Angelus would watch as Darla and Drusilla forced themselves on me." The vampiress shuddered. "But worse of all was what they would do once a week. They wouldn't feed me, except once a week they'd bring a small child into my cell for me to drink from. I refused for the first two weeks, but by the third I was just so hungry."  
  
"Why didn't you try and escape?" asked Buffy, her face pale.  
  
The vampiress shrugged and smiled painfully. "This was less than a year after I'd got my soul back I was still in shock, still in my deepest depression. I believed what they were doing to me was what I deserved."  
  
Giles' heart ached for the woman stood before him, nobody, whatever their crimes, deserved that. Even by vampire standards it sounded horrific. And young Xander was in their hands, the Watcher shuddered. "How did you escape?"  
  
"Escape?" Faith laughed hollowly. "I didn't, not really. After two months Angelus got bored of both the town and torturing me. They discussed various ways of killing me, always in front of me, Darla's particular favourite involved stealing a life-sized cross from a local church and crucifying me face-first on it. Fortunately Angelus rejected that as impractical and decided instead to tie up my hands and feet together behind my back and dump me on the outskirts of town the night they left the town for the sun to take care of. Luckily, I wasn't as weak as they thought and I was able to get loose and drag myself back to the cellar where they'd held me. I stayed there for a few days feeding on the rats that lived there to get my strength back before leaving."  
  
Giles felt physically sick. Looking around the hushed library he saw that his young charges were in as bad or worse shape. Willow looked to be in near hysterics while the usually stoic Oz was attempting to comfort her even as he looked like he was struggling not to vomit. Cordelia and Amy had, for a moment at least, forgotten their mutual enmity to cling together as if letting go would mean giving into the horror written across their faces. Buffy though, looked pale but determined. The Watcher knew he could rely on his Slayer.  
  
He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Jenny gazing calmly down at him. "You'll save him Rupert," she whispered. "I know you will."  
  
After giving his girlfriend a grateful smile, the Watcher turned to Amy. "Amy, can you tell us where Xander is now?"  
  
The Wicca hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. "He's in the harbour district, in an old fish market," she said quietly.  
  
"Good, well done Amy," the Watcher praised. "And well done Cordelia, it was quick thinking on your part in such fraught circumstances." The Watcher smiled slightly at the pleased expression on the cheerleader's face. "Now this is what we will do."  
  
* * *  
  
"So this is the boy who's stolen Faith's heart? I thought he'd be more impressive," Angelus said with a smirk.  
  
Xander swallowed hard. He decided he'd never felt this scared, even on the night he'd crawled through the Master's tunnels to save Buffy. "Hey, that goes double for you."  
  
Angelus snarled in fury before smashing a right hand into his stomach. Gasping in pain, he threw up his dinner and fell to his knees. The vampire crouched beside him and whispered menacingly in his ear. "After we've finished torturing you, maybe I'll castrate and turn you. The first dickless vampire how would you like that?"  
  
It was an effort to push away the gnawing terror consuming him but Xander managed to lift his head and stare defiantly at his tormentor. "And there was me thinking that was you."  
  
Angelus let out an enraged bellow before kicking him savagely in the ribs. The force of the blow lifted him off the ground and sent him flying through the air to land in a heap twenty feet away. His entire body now screaming with pain, he only dimly heard Angelus' growled command. "Take him girls. Have your fun, but don't kill him."  
  
* * *  
  
"Why do you have to be the one who goes in the back way to rescue Xander?"  
  
Faith struggled to keep hold of her temper. She knew that Buffy's petulance was fuelled by her shared concern for Xander. "Two reasons. One, your friends work better as a unit with you than with me. Secondly, Angelus would sense a Slayer as soon as you attempted to enter the building."  
  
"Wouldn't he sense you too, being one of his children?"  
  
Faith grimaced at the Watcher's question. She'd have to stop underestimating him. "That's possible," she admitted reluctantly. "But with all the other children around, he might miss me. He'd never miss a Slayer."  
  
The Watcher nodded soberly. "Very well, we'll do it your way Faith."  
  
"Giles -."  
  
"No Buffy," Giles said firmly. "There's another reason isn't there?"  
  
She closed her eyes for a second before nodding slowly. "Yes. I can't fight Angelus."  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy demanded angrily. "He's kidnapped Xander!"  
  
"I know," Faith felt tears of frustration forming in her eyes. She wanted to kill her sire but she couldn't.  
  
"Buffy," it was Giles' gentle voice. "The link between sire & childe is an extremely powerful one. It is very rare for a childe to kill their sire and the majority of the vampires that have done so, have been driven insane by the act."  
  
"Oh." Faith felt a warm hand on her arm. To her surprise it belonged to a resolved and sympathetic looking Buffy. "Between us, we'll save him."  
  
* * *  
  
Angelus' head snapped up as the door crashed open. A cold smirk twisted his usually handsome face as he watched the scene before him unfold.  
  
The Slayer was first to enter. She was a whirlwind of violence as she tore into his minions. She was better and more beautiful than any Slayer he'd faced. Truly a worthy opponent, he'd savour her death.  
  
Next came a trio of beautiful woman brandishing water pistols followed by an orange-haired youth carrying a crossbow. The master vampire had to fight back a laugh as he watched their tactics. The girls would fire their water pistols, obviously containing holy water, into the faces of his minions. When they were blinded by pain, the young man would coolly fire a bolt into their hearts. Innovative, he liked that.  
  
Last to enter the fray was a man in his early forties, obviously the Watcher, accompanied by an attractive younger woman, both expertly brandishing wooden swords. Suddenly the smile left his face, he grabbed at his right-hand man's elbow. "Spike! We need to get the brat now!"  
  
"Why?" The bleached-blond vampire continued to avidly watch the pitched battle in front of them.  
  
"Faith, where's Faith?"  
  
Realisation flooded the younger vampire's face. "Oh bloody hell," he muttered before following his sire into the tunnels beneath the fish market.  
  
* * *  
  
Xander's anguished screams tore at Faith's heart even as they guided through the winding catacombs beneath the disused fish emporium. Getting in had been easy, she'd swayed up to the guards at the back of the building, pretending to be the entertainment sent by Angelus before effortlessly dispatching them. Taking advantage of the disturbance at the front of the building, she'd quickly found an entrance to the tunnels.  
  
She was closer now, could feel the presence of Darla and Drusilla. She just hoped they were too involved in their torturing to notice her presence. She crept up to the door of the room where they held Xander, wincing slightly at the sound of his laboured breathing. Raising her foot she slammed it into the door, sending it crashing open, before stepping into the shadowy chamber beyond.  
  
The scene that greeted her turned her stomach. A barely conscious Xander was hung by his arms from the centre of the ceiling. From her position by the door Faith could see that his back was a bloody mess thanks to the whip that Drusilla held in her hand, while his front was covered in bruises and welts. His trousers were pulled round his ankles and his legs had been slashed repeatedly with a hunting knife that Darla held.  
  
The vampiress felt a cold rage engulf her. Snarling, she drew the flare- gun in her belt and fired at Drusilla. Faith smirked as the insane vampiress exploded in flames, stepping aside she allowed the shrieking inferno to run past her and out of the room. "One down and one to go," she taunted as she turned the gun towards a mouth-agape Darla. "One of the few things I ever liked about you was your cowardice. I need to conserve my ammo, so this is your lucky day. Go."  
  
The blonde didn't hesitate, she ran out of the door as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. The threat gone, Faith hurried over to Xander and, grabbing a chair, she climbed up and gently released the moaning youth from his bonds.  
  
"Oh Xand, don't worry sweetie it's all over. I'm here now," she muttered as she gently stroked his hair and brushed his forehead with her lips. She inspected his wounds more closely as she carefully dressed him. None of the cuts on his legs looked serious in themselves but all together and with the resulting blood loss, she realised the room stunk of it, could end up causing problems. He looked to have a couple of cracked ribs and his back, Faith winced, Drusilla had been swinging the whip with venom.  
  
Pulling the dazed youth to his feet she grimaced at his groans. "I'm sorry Xand," she whispered as she leaned the young man against her and helped him into the darkened corridor.  
  
Encumbered by Xander's weight and weakened condition, the vampires could only make slow progress. As she finally made her way up the slope leading back to the surface, she sensed the presence of her sire. "Angelus," she moaned in half-terror, half-desire.  
  
"So good of you to come visit." The handsome powerfully-built vampire stepped out of the shadows ahead of her, followed by a sneering Spike. The large vampire's tone hardened. "Now snap his neck for me."  
  
So strong was the compulsion to obey, Faith half-turned towards the dazed boy, but one look at his battered face was enough to turn her back towards the vampire. "No, I won't do it," she said, her voice trembling.  
  
Angelus' face darkened. "Then drop him and run for your life. If you're lucky you might get away." The vampire stepped forward only to stop at the sound of a gun cocking. "Shoot me? I'm your sire, you can't shoot me."  
  
"For him, I can." Her teeth clenched with the effort, Faith kept the gun steady. "These flares burn vampires real well. Ask Drusilla, if you can find her ashes."  
  
"Bitch."  
  
Angelus stopped Spike's advance with a glance. "You love him? The vampiress and the boy!" The vampire laughed mockingly. "This is just too precious!" Angelus turned to a now scowling Spike. "There'll be plenty of time to deal with her later, she'll suffer before we've finished but now we're leaving."  
  
"Is it true?"  
  
Faith glanced at Xander in surprise. She was sure that blood loss would have driven him into unconsciousness by now. "Is what true?"  
  
"D.do you love me?"  
  
She was saved from answering by the sound of approaching footsteps and the familiar scents of Giles, B and the others. Forcing a smile, she leaned over and kissed the boy on the cheek. "Hush," she said quietly. "You need to rest now." Fortunately for her he'd already fallen into oblivion. She just hoped his sleep wasn't plagued with nightmares of what had been done to him. 


	10. New Slayer In Town

Blood Tears 10 - New Slayer In Town  
  
As if his life wasn't complicated enough. Now the woman who he'd come to think of as his mentor was apparently in love with him. Crazy, Xander shook his head, what would a stunning 300 year old vampiress want with a seventeen year old boy? It had to be a taunt from Angelus.  
  
But what if it wasn't? She was so beautiful, so graceful, he loved talking to her for hours. But then there was Buffy, a fond smile flickered across his face, he lived to see her smile, hear her laugh or just say his name. So Buffy or Faith? Dazzling light or seductive darkness? Was there even a choice? It was stupid to think that either of those two amazing women would be interested in a doofus like him.  
  
"Penny for them, Xander."  
  
He glanced up to see Buffy stood before him, a grin on her face, her nose scrunched up in the way he loved. "Only a penny for them?" he joked. "Have you heard of inflation?"  
  
The blonde Slayer arched an eyebrow. "We're talking about your thoughts Xander," she jibed before linking arms with him. "So what was my Xander- shaped friend thinking about anyway?"  
  
"Um, nothing really." He glanced down at their entwined arms in puzzlement. Women, he'd never understand them. For weeks now Buffy had been encouraging him to hang with her more, an exact opposite of her previous behaviour.  
  
"So, how the ribs doing?"  
  
Xander grimaced. Willow and Amy had used magic to heal the wounds to his back and legs but broken ribs were beyond their powers so they had to heal naturally. "Faith says they should be fully healed in a week or so."  
  
Buffy beamed at him. "That's great. Then you'll be able to start running again?"  
  
"I guess." Xander paused to hold open the school doors open for his companion. That was another thing he didn't understand. From completely ignoring his training, she'd become his own personal cheerleader, ah he still remembered that outfit, for him. She jogged with him in the morning, lent him books on physical conditioning and martial arts and sometimes even sat on his training sessions with Faith, offering encouragement and suggestions.  
  
As they walked through the school corridor he saw someone he really needed to speak to. Turning to Buffy, he smiled apologetically. "Buff, I'm sorry I've got something I have to do."  
  
Disappointment flickered across his friend's face. "But we'll meet up at recess right?" "Try and stop me." He waited under his friend had walked off before swallowing hard and making it over to Cordelia. "Um, Cordelia can I talk to you?"  
  
The head cheerleader shot him a scornful glance. "And why would I want to talk to you, Loser Boy." Smirking slightly, the beautiful brunette turned back to her sniggering friends.  
  
With an effort Xander bit back a smart reply. "Remember be nice, she saved your life," he muttered under his breath. After a few minutes Cordelia dismissed her followers and turned back to Xander, a disdainful expression on her face. "You still here? It's bad enough that I have to be with you in the library, I don't want to be seen in public with you too."  
  
Xander's patience snapped. "Fine, great!" Grabbing the startled girl's elbow, he opened a near-by broom closet and shoved her inside, before following and closing the door.  
  
"Loser! What are you doing!"  
  
"You don't want to be seen with me? Fine, then we'll meet in here! That private enough?" Xander forced his temper under control. "Look Cordy, I wanted to thank you for helping to save my life. If you hadn't managed to get a message to the others I'd be dead or worse." Xander turned to leave.  
  
"Wait." The young man stopped at a light touch on his arm. He turned to see that Cordelia's face had softened. The cheerleader opened her mouth but whatever she was about to say was lost by the opening of the closet door.  
  
"Mr Harris! Ms. Chase! What are you doing in here?"  
  
Xander forced a smile before turning to face the school principal. "Mr. Snyder, always a pleasure. The janitor asked us to check for rats. And I'm happy to say there are none." He grinned at Cordelia who looked like she was struggling to stop from laughing.  
  
Snyder on the other hand looked far from amused. "A likely story. I've got my eye on you Harris, and on you, Miss. Chase."  
  
"Careful Mr. Snyder, you know what they say about older men who watch attractive younger women."  
  
"So you think I'm attractive?"  
  
Xander glanced at Cordelia as they hurried away from a fuming Snyder. "To quote yourself 'well duh', besides next to Snyder, G-Man looks good."  
  
The cheerleader raised an eyebrow. "Does Giles know how you feel?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Excuse me sir. Could you tell me where Mr. Rupert Giles or Miss. Buffy Summers are?"  
  
Xander glanced up to look at the owner of the exotic voice. His mouth dropped open at the coffee-coloured teenage beauty stood opposite him. What he noticed after her gorgeous looks was the frayed state of her clothes and her stance of practiced deadliness. Only two other women stood like that and as it was daylight and she was asking for the G-Man and the Buffster, she had to be... "You're a Slayer right?"  
  
The girl's eyes widened. "W..what is this Slayer?" she asked.  
  
The girl made to leave only for Xander to grab her arm. He cringed at how thin she seemed. He looked at his packet of unopened potato chips and Twinkie bar and sighed. He pushed them across the park table towards the girl. "Here have these. You look like you need that more than me."  
  
The girl glanced down at the food longingly before then directing a suspicious look at him. He sighed. "Look, I know all about Slayers. I'm a friend of Buffy's."  
  
The girl's eyes widened in wonder. "Slayers aren't allowed friends."  
  
And that's what your Watcher told you. Giles had informed them of some of the things that the Council had done to past Slayers, but he'd never really believed them until now. Even as his stomach clenched painfully at the girl's exhausted state, he felt his temper rise at the way she'd evidently been treated by the wise and mighty Council. Inwardly fuming, Xander forced a smile. "Well you've got one now. I'm Xander, and you are?"  
  
The girl hesitated before speaking. "I'm Kendra. We're friends?"  
  
"'Course we are. You don't think I share my food with just anybody," he leaned forward and winked at the girl. "Only my friends and only the really good-looking ones. So why don't you sit down and eat up? Then I'll take you to see Buff." After a second, Kendra nodded, sat down and began eagerly tearing open the chip packet. And as she talked, Xander's anger grew.  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy smiled at the sight of Xander entering the library, she'd missed him at lunch but then he occasionally disappeared to think about stuff, he called it his 'quiet time'. The smile wavered as she noticed the rage in his eyes and the bedraggled girl clinging to his hand. "Hi, Xander. Who's your friend, haven't seen her in class before?" She hoped he didn't hear the jealously in her voice.  
  
"Hi Buff," her friend glanced at the clearly nervous girl stood beside him. "This is Kendra, she's a Slayer."  
  
Buffy's mouth dropped open. "How's that possible, I'm the Slayer?"  
  
"Sit down Kendra," Xander gently guided the newcomer to a seat at the library table. "You still hungry?" The girl nodded meekly. Xander turned towards her. "Give me your lunch, Buff."  
  
"My lunch!"  
  
"Apart from a packet of chips and a Twinkie, half an hour ago, she hasn't eaten in nearly a week. I think she needs it more than you, don't you?" her friend growled.  
  
The blonde Slayer swallowed as she noticed the full burning intensity of the anger in Xander's eyes, this was a seriously scary side to her friend that she'd never seen before. Wordlessly Buffy went through her bag and passed her sandwich box to Xander who nodded shortly before passing the box to the other girl. "There you are Kendra," he said kindly.  
  
The girl looked up at Xander with what Buffy noticed uneasily seemed very close to hero worship. "Thank you Mr. Xander," she turned to Buffy and nodded. "Thank you Miss Buffy."  
  
Buffy smiled numbly. "No prob Kendra, and it's just Buffy." Pulling Xander a distance away from the eagerly eating girl, she looked up into her friend's face. "She's a Slayer all right, I can feel it. How is it possible?"  
  
"You died remember? I revived you?"  
  
"That was only for a minute!" she hissed.  
  
"Long enough apparently," Xander replied. "Is Giles in his office?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Look after Kendra for me. This will just take a minute." Her friend pulled away from her and strode into the office.  
  
* * *  
  
The Watcher glanced up as Xander entered his office, an unusually serious expression on the boy's face. "Hello Xander, can I help -."  
  
Xander's fist slammed into his jaw, flipping him backwards out of his chair and onto the floor. He looked up dazedly at the enraged youth stood over him, Faith had trained him well, the young man certainly knew how to throw a punch. "Xander?"  
  
"Do you know what she said - 'Slayers aren't allowed friends'. Just what did you and your gang of sick bastards do to her?" The Watcher watched as Xander pulled back his arm only for the office door to crash open and Buffy to enter and pull the youth off.  
  
"Xander! What are you doing!" demanded his Slayer, her face anguished.  
  
"Ask your Watcher." The hatred and tore at the Watcher's heart. "Ask him about all the potentials being snatched or bought from their parents. Ask him about the little girls being forced to live and train alone, with only a cold-hearted bastard of a Watcher as company. Never being able to go to school or have friends. And while you're at it you might want to ask him what they would have done to you if they'd found you."  
  
"Giles, this isn't true. Is it?"  
  
He opened his mouth to reply to his Slayer's plaintively asked question only for Xander to angrily override him. "Ask him about the scared little kid sat in his library who was told by her dying Watcher to go to Sunnydale to see the all so wise Rupert Giles. So she stowed away on a freighter, because of course the mighty council couldn't afford to send her on a plane. After all, she's just a tool. Since then she's spent the last three week, living on scraps, hitching across the country. Been attacked and scared out of her tree about half a dozen times in the past month."  
  
The bemused Watcher was having trouble taking all this in. Another Slayer? Why wasn't he told? "Xander, I didn't -."  
  
"Save it." The angry youth somehow managed to pull away from a restraining Buffy and strode to the door before turning back. "Know this Watcher," contempt laced the youth's every word. "Kendra is staying with me and if you or any of your Council goons come after her, I'm going to let out Soldier Guy out to play."  
  
* * *  
  
"You live here?"  
  
Xander bit back a chuckle at the awe in the young girl's voice, the encounter with G-Man had left him drained and it was good to feel an emotion different from rage. He glanced at the Slayer, she looked a lot better after eating, her eyes were more alive, her posture straighter. But she still looked unhealthily gaunt. "This is my abode, yeah. And yours too for as long as you want." He unlocked the front door and opened it. "I live here with my guardian. Which reminds me -."  
  
"Vampire!" Cursing under his breath, Xander body-checked Kendra as she lunged at Faith. "No Kendra. What is it with you Slayers, stake first ask questions later. Faith is kind of unique -."  
  
"Thanks for that."  
  
Xander glared up at the vampires. "Really not helping." Only his superior weight, the Slayer's apparent reluctance to hurt him, and her weakened condition allowed him to keep her pinned down, for a while at least. "Kendra! Listen to me, Faith has a soul. She's not like normal vamps, I've been living with her for months. She's my friend."  
  
After a few seconds Kendra relaxed. She looked up at him with her doe-like eyes and nodded. "I trust you Mr. Xander."  
  
Xander smiled down at the girl, damn but it was comfy lying on her. "Okay."  
  
"Xander, I think the girl wants to get up."  
  
He flushed red. Oh yeah, like he really didn't need another girl to complicate his life. "Of course." After standing, he helped Kendra to her feet. "If you want Kendra, there's a bath and shower upstairs."  
  
"Thank you Mister Xander." The girl stared distrustfully at the vampires as she hurried upstairs.  
  
"Mister Xander," Faith snorted. "Front room now."  
  
Sighing, he followed into the front room. "Sit."  
  
"Hey I'm not a -."  
  
"Sit!"  
  
Paling slightly, Faith never yelled at him, Xander quickly sat. "I had a phone call from Mr. Giles ten minutes ago. He told me about your behaviour."  
  
"Hey did h-."  
  
"Quiet! I'm talking. In all my years I've encountered and either killed or helped nearly ten Slayers. Buffy is different from all of them, she has friends, family, a social life - unlike those other Slayers she's not just fighting for an abstract ideal, she's fighting for her own piece of the world. And that's what makes her all the harder to beat. That she is able to have these friends, those things to fight for, is down in large part to one man - Rupert Giles. The man you attacked earlier." "But -."  
  
"I don't want to hear any excuses, you will apologise to Giles in the morning. Now why have you bought Kendra here?"  
  
"She needs somewhere to stay."  
  
Faith let out a disbelieving laugh. "Oh no way, a vampire and a Slayer in the same house? Not a good idea. What are you doing?"  
  
Xander paused from picking up some magazines from the coffee table to look at her, his face determined. "I told her she was my friend, I promised to look after her and I don't break my promises. She needs me, if you won't let her stay here I'll find somewhere else, maybe stay with Will while I work something out."  
  
"Oh sit down," the vampire sighed. "She can stay. Just make sure she knows who's the boss. And tomorrow -."  
  
"I'll apologise, promise." He threw his arms around the vampiress and kissed her on the cheek. "You're the best. I'll go and make up the spare rooms. Thanks Faith!"  
  
* * *  
  
Faith shook her head in disbelief as the young man charged out of the room. Her heart had nearly broken when he'd said he was leaving. But that was her Xander all over, any friend of his got total loyalty no matter what. It was one of the things she loved most about him. She sighed, somehow she guessed with another Slayer around her unlife was about to get a lot more interesting. 


	11. Settling In

Blood Tears 11 - Settling In  
  
"I like his eyes the most. Or maybe his smile, yes definitely his smile."  
  
Willow rolled her eyes. Kendra's one woman campaign to have Xander installed as president of the universe was in full flow again. Had she ever been that infatuated with him?  
  
"I prefer his bum." Oz commented gravely.  
  
"Yes," Kendra nodded enthusiastically. "He has a wonderfully pert -. You're making fun of me."  
  
"Probably," the guitarist agreed expressionlessly. "But I do think it's a nice bum."  
  
The red-head collapsed in gales of laughter as Kendra stormed off. "That was mean," she gasped.  
  
"Yes it was. But you liked it."  
  
"So," Willow fluttered her eyelashes at her boyfriend as she leaned into him. "Who's bum do you like best mine or Xander's?"  
  
The guitarist gave her a long look before replying. "I think Xander's an eight, but you, you're a ten."  
  
Still laughing, Willow kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "Good answer."  
  
* * *  
  
"You're doing real good, Kendra."  
  
"You really think so, Xander?"  
  
Faith grinned as she peered through the door crack to check what the two kids were up to. Soon after her arrival, they'd discovered Kendra had only a very basic education. Enraged, Xander had immediately taken it upon himself to teach her to read and write properly. After checking some books out of the town library, he'd apologised to Giles but still avoided the Watcher as much as possible, he'd begun to teach the young girl.  
  
The grin on the sultry brunette's face disappeared as she remembered her own tutoring by Angelus. While Xander taught with gentle encouragement and kind praise, Angelus' method had been to brutally beat her to the floor for every mistake she made. On the whole she thought Xander's method definitely had more going for it.  
  
Another problem was developing, complicating her already confusing life. Although the big dumbo hadn't realised it she had, Kendra was developing feelings for him. Even without the scent the second Slayer gave off, she couldn't fail to notice the adoring looks she sent the youth's way. Two Slayers and a vampiress in love with him - just what did the boy have?  
  
Forcing a smile, she pushed the door open. "Grab your coats kids," she instructed. "Time for patrol."  
  
* * *  
  
Faith glanced watchfully around the darkened cemetery. The first two graveyards they'd gone through had been deserted, but this one... "Vamps, ten maybe," her words sliced through the cold night air.  
  
Instantly the two youngsters moved into flanking positions. The vampiress nodded approvingly, whatever her reservations about having the newest Slayer living in her house, her presence meant there was another skilled fighter to help protect Xander. Which was why she had come to the Hellmouth in the first place.  
  
Suddenly the night's tense quiet erupted. Vampires charged at them from all sides, their demonic faces showing.  
  
Faith's foot flickered out, smashing into the face of the first vamp stupid enough to get close enough. The vampire roared in pain as he flew back into the darkness. Out of the corner of her eye, Faith saw a fist heading towards her. Bending her knees, she allowed the punch to pass harmlessly over her head before standing up and butting her attacker full in the face. As the injured vampire screamed in agony, she drove a stake into its chest.  
  
A split-second after the vampire in front of her had exploded into dust, a brawny arm encircled her neck from behind in a crushing grip. "Time to die bitch!" a Creole accent drawled in her ear.  
  
The vampiress' eyes widened in shock as she saw the stake racing down towards her heart. Thrusting backwards with her right foot, she connected powerfully with her attacker's shin, snapping the bone. Taking advantage of the resulting loosening around her neck, she grabbed the vamp's beefy forearm, threw him over her shoulder and to the ground. Grabbing her adversary's dropped stake, she plunged it into his heart. "No, you die fatboy," she corrected before looking how the others were doing.  
  
* * *  
  
As soon as Faith had warned them of the approach of the vampires, Xander's hand had dropped to the water pistol filled with holy water he carried in his inside jacket pocket. Pulling out the pistol, he shot the first vampire to approach him square in the face. Instantly the vampire's face began to steam and burn. Screaming wildly, the vampire forgot all about attacking him and instead reached up for his eyes. Taking advantage of the distraction, the boy plunged a stake into the shrieking vamp's heart.  
  
Grinning slightly at his success, Xander glanced around for another vampire. A fist came smashing out of the darkness, thudding into his jaw with bruising impact. The youth stumbled backwards as the owner of the fist stepped out of the shadows and charged him. Remembering all Faith's lessons, Xander attempted to use his adversary's superior power against him. As the vampire rushed at him, he sidestepped the lunge and tripped the vampire sending his opponent flying through the air to land half a dozen feet away.  
  
Xander rushed over to stake the stunned vampire. He plunged his stake down, only for his heart to miss a pounding beat when his arm was grabbed by his would-be victim. His face contorted with effort, he struggled in vain to drive the stake home, all too aware of the vampire's mocking grin. "I'm going to enjoy killing you boy. Arggh!"  
  
Xander glanced up and smiled gratefully. "Thanks Kendra, if you hadn't turned up then..."  
  
The Slayer beamed. "It's my pleasure Xander."  
  
"How many did you get?" demanded the vampiress.  
  
Xander turned to face Faith. God, she looked amazing. Realising the vampiress was staring at him impatiently, he flushed. "One."  
  
"Three," Kendra put in, her eyes gleaming proudly.  
  
"And I got two." The vampiress' lips pursed in thought. "Their numbers are increasing. I wonder if the others ran into trouble?"  
  
* * *  
  
His eyes bulging with fury and his demonic face showing, Angelus slammed a fist into the table before him, the impact smashing the wooden table in front of him in two. "Nine dead in total last night! I can't believe it! Why I am surrounded by such bloody incompetents!"  
  
"Two Slayers, never been two of those bitches before," Spike remarked gravely. "Faith's a real pain in the bloody arse too."  
  
"I want the boy," pouted Darla. "I want to make him scream."  
  
Angelus glanced at his childe in disdain. She'd fallen steeply in his estimation after her abject performance the night Faith had snatched the little bastard back. He turned towards his lieutenant. "Spread the word, I'm sending for the Order Of Takara." Spike's eyes widened. "You sure boss?"  
  
"I'm fast running out of patience and options. These bitches have been laughing at us for too long."  
  
"So which one do you want them to kill - Faith, Summers, or the new Slayer bint?"  
  
Angelus paused in thought. Ideally he'd like to see three all of them dead, but the Order were just too expensive to hire for three jobs, although their high price was justified, they'd never failed to complete a contract in centuries. Finally, he decided on his answer. "Oh, I think we'll keep it in the family."  
  
* * *  
  
"Right, that's all for tonight. Thank you everybody. Xander, could you stay behind please?"  
  
Xander nodded, the youth turned to the girl hovering protectively behind him. "Kendra, go with the others. Enjoy yourself."  
  
"Are you sure Xander?" At the boy's nod the girl set off after the others.  
  
Once the girl had left, the boy turned back to him. "So what do you want Giles?"  
  
The librarian sighed with hurt at the now ever present animosity he heard in the youth's voice, he almost missed being 'G-Man'. He understood the youth's anger and suspected that it came from his need to protect and unresolved issues about his abused childhood. However for the sake of the group it could no longer be tolerated. "Wait there," he ordered before disappearing into his office. Minutes later he returned carrying a thick bundle of papers. "Read these." He dropped the papers on the desk before the boy.  
  
Xander paled. "Uh, isn't there a demon I could fight instead?"  
  
The Watcher hid a smile, despite his newly improved grades the boy still really didn't like academic work. "Very well, I'll summarise. These are papers I wrote just after qualifying as a Watcher deploring the treatment of potentials on both moral and effectiveness grounds. Unfortunately I was too junior at that time and my opinions were discarded."  
  
The youth's face flushed red. "Uh, Giles," the boy stuttered. "I'm sorry."  
  
Giles smiled. "That's all right son. Your anger is wholly justified, if misdirected. I admit to being more than a little uncomfortable about Kendra's previous situation. I must say you and Faith are doing an excellent job with her." "Thanks G-Man."  
  
The librarian sighed with relief, back to normal and time for his customary response. "Don't call me that." 


	12. The Order

Blood Tears 12. The Order  
  
"Hi Wills, no Oz?"  
  
"Practice with the band," the Wicca explained before taking a second to inspect her oldest friend as she made her way into the house he shared with Faith and Kendra. Her friend had changed a lot since moving in with Faith four months ago. He had shed most of his puppy fat, lost all of his natural clumsiness, now he moved with an almost predatory grace, similar to that of the ensoulled vampiress and had gained considerably in confidence. Despite her and Buffy's earlier misgivings it was apparent that Faith had been good for him.  
  
She realised Xander was staring at her curiously. "What's up Wills?"  
  
"Just thinking how much you've changed."  
  
Her friend grinned at her. "And do the renovations meet with madam's approval?"  
  
Willow giggled. One thing about her Xander that would never change, he'd always be a complete goof. "I think so, yeah."  
  
"Then sir is pleased," Xander bowed theatrically before turning serious. "What's the gig Willow?"  
  
"I'm here to see Kendra. She asked me to teach her the computer." She'd really got to like the dark Slayer, her shyness in social situations reminded her of herself before Buffy had entered her life. She was determined to do whatever she could to help bring the new Slayer out of her shell.  
  
Xander's eyes widened in mock-outrage. "Hey, Kendra can use the computer just fine - we've nearly finished Tomb Raider!"  
  
"You and Lara Croft - why am I not surprised? Heard of word processing, spreadsheets and databases? What about the internet and e-mail? Do you listen to Ms. Calendar?"  
  
"No I'm too busy staring at -," Xander's words trailed off. "Never mind. If I finish that sentence you'll only tell G-Man."  
  
Willow rolled her eyes. That was another thing that would never change about her friend. He was an utter perv. "So is Kendra in?"  
  
"She's upstairs. Do you mind if I sit in on the lesson?"  
  
The Wicca hesitated before nodding. In everyday situations, Kendra was less skittish whenever Xander was present. Like Buffy and Cordelia, Xander had become Kendra's rock. Just like he'd been her's until she'd found Oz. "Sure Xand, but try to keep the quips to a minimum."  
  
Her friend saluted her. "Yes, Sergeant-Major sir!"  
  
* * *  
  
Xander smiled proudly as he watched Willow and Kendra work on his computer from his position laid on his bed. Kendra was intelligent and quick- witted, just not well-schooled and she picked things up first try. Which was more than he'd ever managed.  
  
His brow furrowed in puzzlement when Kendra interrupted the lesson by standing, her posture tense and her eyes watchful. "What's up Kendra?"  
  
"There's somebody downstairs."  
  
"Well it can't be a vampire," he pointed out. "It's till daylight. It's probably Cordy or maybe Oz for Will. I'll go." Without waiting for agreement, he rose and strode out of the room. He was half-way down the stairs when a tall, thin shaven-headed man with grey eyes stepped out of the lounge. "Hey! Who the hell are you!"  
  
The intruder didn't answer, instead he raised his right arm and made a fist. Xander's eyes widened in shock as a flaming ball of fire erupted out of the man's hand and flew straight at him. Cursing, the boy leapt backwards up three steps, noting with terror the scorch marks on the bottom of the step where he was now stood. If he hadn't reacted so quickly, the fireball would have hit him in the stomach. Turning, he raced up the stairs and into his room.  
  
After slamming and locking his bedroom door, he turned to a wide-eyed Kendra and Willow. "Boy, do we have problems. The human torch is outside and he so wants to barbecue me. Wills, you know that hovering spell you do, can you manage with three people?"  
  
The Wicca shook her head. "Even two's a stretch."  
  
Xander hurried over to his bedroom window and grimaced. Hard stone beneath, even a Slayer might injure themselves dropping from his bedroom onto that, and injury could slow them down enough to caught by their pursuers. He glanced at the door, already he could smell burning as the man on the other side worked through it. "Okay, Wills you and Kendra go to the library and warn Faith and the others. I'll hold them off."  
  
"No -."  
  
Xander placed his hands on Kendra's shoulders. "Listen, if there's more of them out there, I need you to protect Willow for me, okay?"  
  
"Xander, what are you going to do?"  
  
The young man glanced from the nearly burnt through door to his best friend's concerned face. "I have a plan."  
  
* * *  
  
"I didn't say it was a good plan," the youth muttered as he clung to the drainpipe running alongside his window, his feet precariously balanced on the all too narrow ledge that ran beneath his window. Finally the pyromaniac stuck his head out of the window. His knuckles whitening, both with the effort of holding on and the terror he felt, Xander swung out with a boot that connected powerfully with his unsuspecting victim's jaw.  
  
"I knew I should have tried out for the soccer team," the youth exclaimed jubilantly as he dropped back through his open window. His joy was short- lived when he saw his adversary already struggling back to his feet, his face a mask of blood, but his eyes very, very angry. Yelping in fear, Xander dived for the door, narrowly avoiding a fireball that flew past him and out of the window. Once on the landing, the youth vaulted over the landing rail to the carpeted floor.  
  
Hitting the floor in a ball, he rolled to his feet and turned to see the largest man he'd ever seen staring down at him. Xander swallowed hard, the shaven-headed man looming over him had to be over seven tall and weigh in excess of 700 fat-free pounds.  
  
As the goliath lunged for him, his movements frightening for a man of his side, Xander dived for the open dining room doorway. Hitting the floor hard, he staggered to his feet. Seeing the behemoth following him sideways through the doorway, Xander covered his face and dived through the window, sending glass flying as he hit the lawn outside on his side. Cursing the battering his body had taken, the boy dragged himself upright and ran off.  
  
* * *  
  
"You let them escape!"  
  
"You hardly did better," Victor Gargov pointed out as he stared impassively at the blood-stained figure stood before him. Before he'd been discovered by the Order he'd been a pit-fighter facing wrestlers, boxers, kick boxers, martial artists and barroom brawlers. In six years he'd remained undefeated, taking on all comers, and in all that time he'd never shown fear and he wasn't about to show any to this freak. The boy had impressed him, he'd been trained well enough to know he was out of league and took appropriate and quick-witted action. "We know were they're heading. The library." 


	13. First Times

Blood Tears 13 - First Times  
  
Giles watched carefully as his Slayer sparred with the ensoulled vampiress. Their styles were radically different but equally effective - Buffy was fluid and graceful while Faith was brutally efficient. The Watcher was relieved that the tension between the two had lessened, making the group dynamic more focused and harmonious. The Englishman hid a smile, and it meant that with Faith training with Buffy he suffered a lot less physical punishment - which was always good.  
  
The Watcher's attention was pulled away from the sparring amazons by the crashing open of the library doors. Turning, he saw a tearful Willow and a distraught-looking Kendra.  
  
The Englishman started towards the two newcomers but was beaten there by the vampiress and his Slayer. "What happened? Where's Xander?" demanded the raven-haired vampiress.  
  
"Wewereattacked,Xandertoldustorunandgethelp."  
  
The Englishman's brow furrowed as he translated Willow's garbled speech. "Attacked by who?"  
  
"There was this man, he fired fireballs out of his hands. I did a hover spell out of Xander's window to escape, but I couldn't carry all of all three of us so Xander said he'd stay behind to fight him."  
  
"You did what!" roared Faith. Giles noted the vampiress' eyes were glittering golden. "You're supposed to be a Slayer," she screamed at a shaking Kendra. "And you left Xand to fight your battles for you!"  
  
"Hold on!" Suddenly Willow was between the two, her face pale and tear- streaked but wearing what Giles knew she had dubbed her 'resolve face'. "Kendra didn't want to leave but Xander insisted, told her to protect me in case there were more waiting outside! Did you really expect him to do anything different?"  
  
"No," the vampiress' head dropped. "I wouldn't."  
  
Giles felt his eyes water, he could dimly hear the muffled sound of Buffy crying. Then he heard the library doors creak open. "Hi guys, has Wills told you what's happening?"  
  
The Watcher's head snapped up, his mouth dropping open as the sight of Xander standing in the shadow of the doorway. He watched as the youth was buried under a deluge of the four girls and winced. He supposed that some might consider it a pleasure to be hugged by four gorgeous women at once, but when three of them were super-strong he imagined, judging from the pained look on Xander's face, the ribs took quite a pounding. Taking pity on the youth, he stepped forward and separated them. The young man looked at him with bemusement. "What's all this?"  
  
Giles opened his mouth to explain but was beaten to it by a still crying Buffy who flung her arms back round the youth's neck. "We thought you were dead!" the blonde sobbed into the boy's chest.  
  
"Oh that." The youth shrugged with a casualness that made the Watcher chuckle. "Got a little hairy back there, particularly when the seven foot muscleman turned up."  
  
"What!" Giles turned to see a look on Faith's face that on anybody else's he would have described as fear. "Describe him!"  
  
Xander stared at the vampiress for a few seconds before replying. "He was bald, kinda squared-faced, seven feet tall easy and big with it. Not fat though, the dude had muscles in places I don't even have places."  
  
"Takara," Faith whispered.  
  
"The order of assassins, are you sure?" Giles asked. This was bad, very bad indeed.  
  
To his despair the vampiress nodded. "The man Xander mentioned attempted to hire me for them three years ago. And given Xander's description, I somehow doubt it was a case of mistaken identity."  
  
"For those not in the know, namely the rest of us, who are you babbling on about?" demanded Buffy.  
  
"The Order of Takara, an ancient group of often supernaturally powered assassins rumoured to have been originally formed in 400 BC. In the intervening centuries, they've never failed to complete a contract," the Watcher replied shakily. It was days like this when he thought that he should have followed his preferred career paths of either a grocer or a fighter pilot - anything really, as long as it didn't involve the word Watcher in the job title.  
  
"Who will they be after?" From the look in his eyes, the Watcher guessed that Xander already knew the answer to his question.  
  
"Given that they turned up at our house first, probably me." Faith's voice was quiet, resigned.  
  
Xander's face contorted in terrified rage. "Well to hell with that! They're not having you!" The young man started towards the weapons chest at the far side of the library.  
  
The teenager was half-way across the floor when the window exploded and a fireball flew through it to slam into his side, engulfing his lower torso in flames. The boy had barely hit the floor when the vampiress, ignoring the sunlight now beaming through the shattered window causing her own frame to smoke and smoulder, was knelt over him, beating wildly at the flames.  
  
Grabbing his coat, Giles hurried over to the screaming body. After quickly checking that Buffy and Kendra were dragging the vampiress into the safety of the shadows, he threw this coat on top of the boy, quickly muffling the flames. "Xander, listen to me, you're going to be fine son." Already the boy's eyes were beginning to glaze over in shock.  
  
Once he was satisfied the flames were out, the Watcher glanced up to the others. "Buffy, you and Kendra get out there and deal with that bastard. Work in a flanking pattern, he can't fire at you both at once," he reached behind the library counter and pulled out his crossbow. "I'll draw his fire with this. Willow, you do what you can for Xander. Faith," the Englishman looked at the vampiress, his eyes grim. The floor had begun to shake, which could only mean one thing. "Faith, you deal with our other unwelcome guest."  
  
* * *  
  
Faith strode down the corridor towards the waiting giant, her eyes glittering golden. They'd pay for the pain they'd caused Xander.  
  
"Faith, always a pleasure," boomed the monster stood in the corridor, his massive shoulders touching the lockers at either side of the corridor.  
  
"Who hired you Victor?" the vampiress demanded, her voice cool despite the burning rage flowing through her veins. "Who are you here to kill?"  
  
"Now Faith," the giant waggled a sausage sized finger at her. "You know the code, I can't discuss such matters with you. It's more than my life's worth."  
  
"Right now, that's not much." The vampiress changed into her demonic face before leaping into the air and snapping out a kick that connected squarely with Victor's jaw. It was a blow hard enough to decapitate a normal man but only enough to stagger the giant backwards.  
  
"Last time we met, you put your legs to much better use," the muscleman taunted as he spat out teeth.  
  
"You've just given me another reason to kill you," the vampiress growled. She charged forward only to run into a thunderous right hook to the head that staggered and a left uppercut to the chin that sent her crashing to the floor.  
  
"On your back again Faith?" The muscleman's laugh turned into a croak as she slammed a kick into his groin. Surging to her feet, she grabbed his head and threw him face-first into a locker. As the assassin staggered away from her attack, his face a bloody ruin, the vampiress stalked after him. Ducking smoothly beneath a wild haymaker, she landed a trio of fast punches to Victor's rock-hard stomach. Laughing off a punch that bounced off her right shoulder, she grabbed the mammoth around his tree-trunk thick throat and threw him head-first a classroom wall.  
  
After sauntering through the tank-sized crater left by the colossus, the vampiress picked up a fire extinguisher and waited until her rival was on his hands and knees before driving the canister down on the back of the Russian's left knee, shattering it completely. The giant returned to the floor with an earth-shaking thud but almost immediately began to try and struggle to his feet again.  
  
She ended Vitcor's second attempt with a knuckle-cracking stomp to the right hand. Grabbing a bulky shoulder, the vampiress flipped the assassin over. "Now who's on his back Vicky?" she taunted before bringing the extinguisher down on the man's right elbow with all her considerable force. "Now how many bones do I have to break before you tell me what I want to know? Who hired you?"  
  
"Angelus." Tears were running down the giant's face.  
  
"To kill who?"  
  
"You."  
  
"Thought so." The vampiress brought her heel down hard on her opponent's throat, tearing through layers of muscle, fat, cartilage and bone with ease. The vampiress stepped away from the decapitated body, a cold look on her beautiful face. Buffy and the others didn't approve of her killing humans, but she couldn't care less. The only question for her was one of goodness - as far as she was concerned a demon who hunted humans because of his or her nature was far less evil than a human who hunted his own species for profit or challenge. Besides, they had entered her home and threatened Xander, nobody got away with that. Turning, she hurried out of the classroom, a small smile playing on her lips. "I wonder how Sunnydale PD are going to explain that away?"  
  
When she re-entered, the Slayers had returned and joined Giles, Willow and Xander around one of the tables. Upon her entry, Xander struggled to his feet and rushed over to engulf her in a hug. "You're okay!"  
  
"Five by five," she grinned to hide the pleasure she felt at his show of concern. "Did you ever doubt?" She glanced down at his side, although his shirt was charred she couldn't see any damage. "How's the burn?"  
  
"Not bad, Will did a spell that healed most of the damage."  
  
"Thanks Red," Faith nodded at the blushing Wicca. "Kendra, can you stay at somebody's house tonight? I need to discuss Xander's heroically stupid behaviour with him."  
  
"You can stay with me Kendra," Willow volunteered eagerly. "My parents are away so we could have a girly night."  
  
"A girly night?"  
  
Faith had to fight back the urge to laugh. Once she and Buffy had called an uneasy truce she'd been invited on a 'girly night' at Willow's. She'd gone out of politeness but six hours swapping make-up tips, discussing boys and watching teen movies was a torture to rival anything Angelus could inflict. Unless she missed her guess Kendra would feel much the same. "Now that's settled," she linked arms with Xander. "The sewers?"  
  
"You take me to the nicest places."  
  
Faith smirked at the youth, but already she was planning her seduction of him. Life was too risky on the Hellmouth to waste it on hesitation. After tonight he would be in no doubt how she felt, the rest would be up to him.  
  
* * *  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
The vampiress stared up into the boy's chocolate brown eyes. She saw confusion, fear and even some desire in them. But no disgust, that was a start. "What don't you understand Xand?" she asked softly. "What I'm saying or why I'm saying it?"  
  
"Why I guess," the boy scratched nervously at his face. "I'm a seventeen kid who's never left the state, you're a beautiful 300 year old vampiress who's travelled the world. You listen to all that classical music stuff and read books by long dead people with names I can't even pronounce while my reading material of choice is Dark Horse comics. You've met people I've only heard about in history class and you're this super-woman while I'm just a weedy -."  
  
She cut the youth of with a finger to the lips. "You're not just anything, Xand," she scolded. Damn his father for beating his confidence out of him. "You're a sweet man who treats a woman whose known nothing but cruelty and disdain with kindness and respect. You're a hero who helps his friends because he's loyal and brave. You're the clown who makes me laugh, pushes away the darkness that's always around me. That's why, Xand."  
  
Xander flushed red and looked down at the carpet. "And what if I don't want to? Will you throw me out?"  
  
The vampiress felt a pang of disappointment. She took the youth's hand in her's. "Of course not. There'll always be a home here for you. If you don't want to that's fine," she replied softly. "You'll still be my friend, the best I've ever had." She started to rise only for the youth to pull her back down. Surprised, she looked at his still blushing face. "Xand honey, what's wrong?"  
  
"I want to. It's just," the youth's words trailed off.  
  
"What, you prefer Kendra, Cordelia, Buffy," she arched an eyebrow. "Please don't say you have a yen for Darla. Then the door will hit you in the ass on the way out."  
  
The boy laughed at her attempt to lighten the mood before turning downcast. "I've never been with anybody."  
  
"Been with -, oh right," the vampiress couldn't resist a small smile. The slightly frightened expression on Xander's face was just so cute. She ran her hands through the boy's hair before easing his head towards her. "But you want to? With me?" Only centuries of hiding her emotions allowed her to conceal her nervousness.  
  
"Yeah," Xander nodded jerkily.  
  
"I've never been with anybody I care about like you, so it's kind of new to me too. Don't worry though hon, I'll steer you round the curves, easy as. And here's a little taster." In a single graceful movement she glided from the sofa to the surprised boy's lap. After delicately running her tongue along his bottom lip, she pressed her lips against his, even as she hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. Gradually she increased her lip pressure before finally expertly sliding her tongue into the boy's mouth and pushing against his tongue for a minute before reluctantly withdrawing. "Pretty good Xand," she praised, her eyes sparkling as her hands stroked the boy's cheeks.  
  
"Thanks but you were doing all the work."  
  
"Don't put yourself down." She gently pulled Xander to his feet and looked him right in the eye, cupping his face in her hands. "Xand, you know that if you don't want to do this, you don't have to right? That I wouldn't throw you out, even if you don't feel the same way? Or if you want to take it slower, that's five by five?"  
  
"Faith," the boy hesitated. "You're beautiful, you're the person who saved me from my dad. I've told you things I haven't even told Will, I still can't believe that you'd even look at me twice, much less want to be with me. I'm terrified at the thought of being with you, but real excited too -."  
  
Smiling, she placed a finger on the youth's lips, halting his stumbling words. Leaning forward, she allowed her lips to caress his cheek before whispering in his ear. "I'll take that as a yes. Now get upstairs." She was going to make it special for him, wonderful and beautiful, so unlike her own first time.  
  
* * *  
  
Laughing with happiness she rolled off the sweat soaked youth and placed her hand on his chest, thrilling at the feel of his racing heart. "Was I okay? You were fantastic," the boy's voice trembled. "But did you enjoy it?"  
  
She smiled to herself, no man had ever cared how she felt before as long as they were satisfied. "Xand honey, I'm going to let you into a secret." With a free hand she pulled his anxious face round and looked into his eyes. "You can know a dozen positions, be able to go all night and that's great. But what a woman really wants is to be with someone she loves and loves her back."  
  
"But you liked it?"  
  
The vampiress was unable to contain a giggle, his innocent nervousness was so refreshing. "You passed the beginner's course with flying colours. However," she allowed her hand to slide away from his chest to his groin. "There are still the intermediate and advanced classes to complete."  
  
The boy's eyes widened. "You want to do it again? With me?"  
  
"I'd prefer it if you were there yeah, it's a hell a lot more fun that way. Remember kiddo you have a girlfriend with super stamina."  
  
Xander chuckled. "I don't think I'm getting much sleep tonight."  
  
The vampiress smirked in reply. "Well seeing as class is in session right now, I think I can guarantee you won't be going to school tomorrow." Placing her hands on his shoulders she guided the youth on top and looked up into his expectant eyes. "Here's what I want you to do."  
  
* * *  
  
Darla glanced up at the second floor window and leered. Judging from the sounds coming from the room, Faith had found himself an enthusiastic lover. The vampiress allowed her hands to travel the contours of her body. Maybe Angelus would allow her to play with him before he killed him if she begged enough. Turning, she hurried into the darkness. 


	14. New Plans

Blood Tears 14 - New Plans  
  
"Faith's taken the boy as a lover. Sounds like he's real good too, she never made sounds like that when she was with you -."  
  
Angelus surged to his feet and slammed a right into the blonde's jaw, knocking her to the floor, his follow-up kick to the ribs sent her flying across the floor and crashing into the room's wall. "Don't push me Darla," he growled as he strode over to crouch above his crumpled childe. "Just tell me what you saw."  
  
"I didn't see anything, heard a lot though." The vampiress let out a scream when he picked her up by her hair.  
  
"You're going too far," he warned.  
  
"I..I'm sorry Angelus, I was on guard outside the traitor's house. And I could hear the boy and her together."  
  
A wintry smile flickered across his face. He'd always considered it the mark of a great general to be able to turn any situation to his advantage. This set of circumstances had possibilities. "This is what we are going to do," he glanced from Spike to Darla. "We're going to kidnap the boy, torture and turn him. Then," he paused for dramatic effect. "I'm going to send him kill the treacherous bitch."  
  
Spike snorted. "You've lost the plot mate. A fledgling wouldn't have a chance against Faith, hell I'd struggle against her."  
  
Angelus laughed. "Maybe, maybe not. The love she feels for him might make her hesitate enough to give him a chance. If not," he shrugged. "The act of killing him will break her. We win either way."  
  
"Bloody genius mate," Spike enthused. "Bloody genius."  
  
"When will we do it?" Darla asked eagerly.  
  
"Right away. No wait," the master vampire paused for a second in thought. "We'll give it a month. Give our two sweethearts time to really fall in love."  
  
* * *  
  
"How long have you and Faith been doing the horizontal mambo?"  
  
Xander choked on his milkshake, after coughing it up and wiping the mess on the cafeteria table up with some paper towels, he turned a shocked face towards his oldest friend. "Willow!"  
  
"What? You want me to call it the beast with two backs or maybe -."  
  
His face turning an ever brighter red, Xander reached across the table and clamped a hand over the red-head's mouth before shooting a glare at a typically expressionless Oz sat across the table, next to the Wicca. "Have you been teaching my Willow dirty talk?"  
  
"She kisses me with that mouth. Shocking isn't it?"  
  
After shaking his head in disgust, he released his grip on his friend's mouth. "How did you find out?"  
  
"Kendra mentioned you going to Faith's room to comfort her." Willow giggled. "'Comfort her', and I thought I was naive."  
  
Xander groaned. His lifespan could be measured in seconds once Buffy found out. She'd been dropping hints about dating over the past month but he wasn't interested not now that he had Faith. And then there was Cordy, she didn't even bother hinting just increasingly strident demands. His life was over.  
  
"How long?"  
  
Xander glanced at the Wicca. "A month."  
  
"A month!" Xander's ears began to ring. "I'm your best friend and you haven't told me in a month!"  
  
"Ever thought of trying that voice out for the Dingoes?" Xander rubbed at his ears, he was reasonably sure there wouldn't be any permanent damage.  
  
Willow ignored his comment. "So what's it like being with a vampiress," the Wicca demanded eagerly.  
  
"Oh for the love of -," Xander threw his hands up in despair. In truth their first night together had been fantastic, if not for the four and a half months of fitness training she'd put him through, he'd have probably died of exhaustion - as it was he'd barely been able to walk in the morning. Despite the vampiress' immense power, she was always tender and understanding, guiding him patiently so that they both got the maximum pleasure. Each time was better than the last and afterwards they'd sleep into each other's arms until dawn. "I'm not discussing it with you!"  
  
"Why not? I'm your best friend." The Wicca pleaded.  
  
"Y..you're a girl. I'm not talking to you about that!"  
  
"Fine," Willow pouted. "Then I'll leave and you can talk to Oz." The guitarist raised an eyebrow. "Me?"  
  
"If I talk to him he'll only repeat everything to him."  
  
"No I won't."  
  
He turned to Oz in surprise. "You won't?"  
  
"Don't need to, got a tape recorder."  
  
He threw his hands up in exasperation. "No, no, no and that's my final answer!"  
  
"Fine," Willow stood and turned to Oz. "So you want to go practice the horizontal mambo?"  
  
Xander groaned. "Just please go." He sighed as the two left the cafeteria, conscious of the curious stares he was getting. His life was getting complicated, he'd resisted telling the others for fear of what their reactions would be, although he'd seen Giles give him the odd knowing smile. Buffy and Cordy, oh god Kendra too, were going to take turns in killing him.  
  
"Xander."  
  
He looked up and smiled vaguely. "Hi Johnno, you wanna sit down?"  
  
"Thanks," the young man put his dinner tray on the table and sat opposite. "What was all that about?"  
  
Xander looked at the nerd darkly. "Just my life ending," at the youth's puzzled look, he shook his head. "Don't ask."  
  
"Um, okay." The boy reached into his pocket and passed a note across the table. "A girl gave me this for you on the way to school."  
  
"Thanks Johnno," Xander glanced at the note and grinned. Faith had organised a picnic for them, just after sundown. He wasn't to go home or anything, just meet her there. Cool, he loved just spending time alone with her almost as much as the sex.  
  
"No prob, can I ask you something?" The boy licked his lips nervously.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Do you know if Kendra's going out with anyone? I mean she lives with you and she's a real babe. Got a real sexy voice too, like something out of one of those voodoo horror flicks."  
  
Xander hesitated before replying. It wasn't like he was saying anything that was a lie. "She's not dating anyone, no. And she's told me she thinks you're sweet. She's told me what a gentleman you are."  
  
"Me?" Jonathan blushed. "You think I should ask her out?"  
  
Xander paused for a second in thought. Kendra was still painfully shy with people outside of their group, but he knew that she liked Jonathan and enjoyed talking to him. He also knew he could rely on Jonathan not to try and take advantage of her naivety. "It couldn't hurt. "Why not, go for it. Even if she blows you out, which I doubt," he hurriedly added. "She's not the sort of girl to broadcast it round the school. But I'm trusting you with my little sis here, you hurt or insult her in any way and they'll have to use dental records to identify the body."  
  
Jonathan swallowed audibly. "Sure man."  
  
Xander nodded. Now all he had to do was deal with Cordy and Buffy. He stood as the cafeteria bell rang, that was for tomorrow. Tonight, he had a picnic to go to. A grin on his face, he hurried back to class.  
  
* * *  
  
Xander peered nervously around. He'd gotten to the meeting place just after nightfall, so he guessed Faith wouldn't be there for some time. But then in the distance, he saw a slender figure making her way through the shadowy woods in front of him.  
  
Smiling, he hurried to meet the figure only to slow and stop. The smile slid from his face, his day had just got a hell of a lot worse.  
  
. 


	15. Shocks And Revelations

Blood Tears 15 - Shocks & Revelations  
  
"Darla."  
  
The blonde clapped her hands together in delight. "You remembered me!"  
  
"I'd hardly forget the bitch who played slice and dice with my legs." Xander's voice shook with fear and sweat began to run down his face. As well as the female demon in front of him he could sense several other figures closing on him.  
  
Darla pouted at his reply. "Now don't be like that," the blonde pulled at the skirt of her gingham dress and giggled. "After all we both know you like vampiresses, I've heard you and Faith together," a speculative gleam entered the demon's ocean blue eyes. "You must be quite the man."  
  
"That's it, I'm taking out an ad," Xander coloured. His momentary embarrassment was quickly replaced by the return of icy terror when a quartet of vampires stepped out from the shadows and formed the corners of a square around him. Xander groaned. "I don't suppose a quick kiss would you get you off my back?"  
  
The vampiress giggled. "You're quite the charmer aren't you?" She tilted her head for a second, almost as if considering his offer, before shaking it regretfully. "I'm tempted; I really am but Angelus so wants to see you again." The blonde looked at the four vampires surrounding him. "Take him."  
  
Xander moved a split-second before the first vampire. Stepping back, he drove an elbow into the face of the vampire to his right, staggering him. Spinning to his left, he ducked beneath a lunge from a coarse-featured Oriental vampire before plunging his stake into its heart.  
  
Spluttering slightly from the resulting dust, Xander took a second to assess his options. They were limited. Running was pointless; they'd be on him before he got fifty feet. His chances in a fight were just about zero, even if by some miracle he beat the three remaining minions there was still Darla.  
  
Darla. Suddenly he felt a surge of fury unlike anything he'd ever experienced since the night he'd been forced to slay Jesse. Lunging forward, he shouldered the vampire in front of him in the side, knocking him off balance, before slamming his stake deep into the creature's chest.  
  
Leaping through the exploding his dust, he charged at Darla, his stake held ready for the killing strike, if he was going to die, he was taking that bitch with him. Instead he ran straight into a right hook that exploded against his head, sending him crashing to the ground and plummeting into unconsciousness.  
  
* * * The blonde looked at her two remaining minions in disgust, they were pathetic. "Go get the car," she ordered dismissively.  
  
Once they had disappeared into the shadows, she crouched down by the youth's unconscious body and eyed him curiously. Only Angelus himself had scared her more than Faith in the old days and yet this child had somehow managed to catch the tramp's heart. Darla stroked the boy's hair. "Just what is it about you boy?" He was a reasonable looking boy, doubtless a tasty morsel, but she'd been with and killed far better without a second thought. As had the whore herself.  
  
And then there was the way he had taken out two of her helpers. Faith had trained him well. They had been little more than fledglings true, but there were few humans who could take even one of her kind in an one on one fight. He had potential to become a real power in the vampire community in the unlikely event of him surviving his battle with Faith. And, she slid her hand inside his shirt, smiling in delight at the feel of his warm flesh, a newborn like him would be much easier to manipulate than Angelus.  
  
She withdrew her hand and stood at the sound of the car returning. She waited until her two accomplices out of the car before barking out her orders. "Josh, get the trunk open! Tim, take his cross off and wake him."  
  
Once the boy had been slapped into glassy-eyed wakefulness, she crouched down before him, savouring the waves of terror she felt coming off him. "Hello Xander," she cooed playfully. "Two vampires all on your own, you're quite the little firebrand aren't you?"  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
She clapped her hands together in delight. "Captured and still defiant, such spirit. I'm starting to see what Faith likes about you. It's going to be such fun breaking you." She laughed as the boy's eyes widened. "Don't worry; once you're trained we'll have such fun together, my special boy. In fact," the vampiress came to a decision. It had been decades since she'd been with a mortal who knew what she was. The heady mixture of fear and desire they gave off was quite intoxicating. "How long is it back to base?"  
  
"Thirty minutes mistress."  
  
"Take some detours boys," she instructed. "I want at least a hour." She quickly unfastened her dress, allowing it to fall to the ground. Revelling in the hungry stares from her two minions but knowing they didn't dare do anything but look, she lifted the youth's head and ran a finger down his reddening cheek. "Blushing boy? A month fucking the whore and you're still modest?"  
  
"Fuck you bitch!"  
  
"No," she ran her hand down the young man's body until she reached his groin. Oh, he wanted her no matter what his mouth said. "I think I'm going to fuck you." She turned to her two subordinates. "Throw him in the trunk, I'm going to join him," she smiled at the boy's stricken expression. "It'll be cramped but I'm going to find out what Faith finds so alluring about our new friend."  
  
* * *  
  
"About time!" Angelus boomed. He'd begun to worry that his plan had been discovered, that Faith and the Slayers had somehow managed to foil another scheme. A smile flickered across his handsome features as a familiar smell reached his nose. "And how was the boy?"  
  
Darla dropped her gaze to the warehouse floor. "Fine, sire."  
  
The smile still firmly in place, he strode over to the boy's slumped body, grabbed a handful of hair and lifted the boy's head. Angelus chuckled as he took in the boy's battered and semi-conscious condition, he carefully ran his finger across a gash on the youth's face and licked off the blood. Ah, a fine vintage. Releasing his grip he stepped back, leaving the youth to the two vampires holding him upright. "I hope you weren't too rough with him, didn't snap his mind."  
  
"No-."  
  
Darla's denial was cut off by Angelus' back-hander, knocking her to the floor. He laughed manically as he repeatedly smashed his foot into the blonde's slender body before picking the screaming woman up by her hair and throwing her to Spike's feet. "I told you not to hurt him any more than needed, but you wouldn't listen."  
  
"Sire, I'm -."  
  
"Shut up!" he thundered, his eyes glittering golden in fury. "Spike, take that wilful slut downstairs and teach her some discipline." He glanced at the two vampires supporting the limp youth. "Did she allow you to join in the fun?" One of the vampires dared to shake his head. "You can now, enjoy her all she has to offer, do whatever you want. She won't resist. And Spike?"  
  
"Yeah boss?"  
  
"Make sure I can hear her screams."  
  
* * *  
  
"Ah, you're awake." Angelus beamed down at his sat captive. "My apologies about Darla's roughness, she's a delightful girl but can be a little enthusiastic in her advances. But don't worry, as I'm sure you can hear she's being punished."  
  
"Well if all this is a mistake maybe I can go now?" "Hope springs eternal," the Master vampire laughed coldly. "So you're intimate with Faith."  
  
"That's none of your damn business!"  
  
"You think she loves you?" the Master vampire laughed. "Faith has known the favours of the rich, the famous and the powerful. You're just the most recent in a long line."  
  
"I know she does!"  
  
Angelus hid a smile; he sensed the boy had doubts. Maybe not of Faith but of himself and his own worthiness. Time to have some fun. "You know what she was before I turned her?"  
  
"I know," the boy glanced down at his feet.  
  
"She was a whore for over two years. Can you imagine how many men she must have slept with," the vampire chuckled. "Although slept with is a relative term."  
  
"I don't give a damn about that!"  
  
The master vampire ignored the boy's outburst. "And then there was the two hundred years we spent together. Ah, the things we did. Why would she fall for a child when she could have somebody with the stamina to match her?"  
  
"The fact I have a personality might be a clue!"  
  
"Spirit, I like that, makes the breaking all sweeter. Do you know what she did between getting her soul back and coming to Sunnydale?" Seeing the boy's look of confusion, he smiled cruelly. "Obviously not. She went back to the trade she knows best. After all a girl's gotta earn a living and aside from torturing and maiming, whoring is the only thing she knows." He laughed at the boy's stricken expression. "A whole century on her back servicing man, woman and demon, and she picks you? I wonder why?" The stunned youth remained silent, so he crouched down before the boy and inspected his battered face before standing. "I think I know, you're the very spit of Bucky Adams."  
  
"W..Who?"  
  
"What, you don't know the tragic tale of Bucky Adams? The young boy who eagerly welcomed his returning big sis and her lover into the Georgia backwoods cabin where he lived. Who died screaming at the end of six hours of torture, sobbing, pleading with the sister he adored not to hurt him anymore. That he'd be a good boy, he promised." For a second the vampire savoured the shell-shocked look on the boy's pain before speaking, false sympathy dripping from every syllable. "I'm sorry Xander but she's with you out of guilt for a boy she killed three hundred years ago."  
  
"Liar!" The boy surged up out of the chair, his face contorted with rage. Angelus smoothly sidestepped the headlong rush before sweeping the boy's legs beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor.  
  
"No I'm not." Angelus placed his foot on the boy's neck, effortlessly pinning him to the concrete floor. "But that's not important. What is important is what's going to happen next. For the next three days I'm going to torture you and then I'm going to turn you. And then I'm going to send you to kill Faith. And either you'll succeed or she'll kill you and your friends will turn against her. Either way I win." 


	16. Slowly Breaking Heart

Blood Tears 16 - Slowly Breaking Heart  
  
"Hello Faith, Jonathan asked me out!"  
  
The vampiress glanced up from the sofa and smiled at the beaming Slayer. Ever since Kendra had started at Sunnydale High at the start of the new school year she'd been raving about the 'sweet' Jonathan. "That's wicked Ken, I assume you said yes."  
  
The Slayer nodded before breaking out into giggles. "He was so funny, he blushed and stuttered. I thought he was going to faint when I said yes."  
  
"You'll find a lot of boys do that when talking to a pretty girl," Faith commented dryly. "So where's he taking you?"  
  
"To a restaurant."  
  
"Then you'll need a new outfit."  
  
The Slayer stared at her. "Why? If Jonathan asked me out does he not already like what I wear?"  
  
The vampiress raised an eyebrow; once again Kendra's sheltered upbringing had left her with a somewhat unique viewpoint. "You're missing the point Ken," Faith explained. "When a girl goes out on a date with a boy, she gets dressed up for two reasons. To show the boy that she thinks he's worth the effort and to show the world how beautiful she is. If you want I could give you some money to go shopping with the others at the weekend."  
  
"Oh," the Slayer glanced down at the floor. "Sometimes the others tease me about my choice in clothes. Would you go with me?"  
  
The vampiress beamed, she knew the others didn't mean anything by their teasing; it was just that Kendra's secluded childhood had left her ill- prepared for the rough and tumble of American high school life. "I'd love to, we'll go tomorrow night." Life was full of ironies, she reflected happily. Who could have guessed that a 300 year old vampiress would get the little sister she'd always yearned for in a girl fated to hunt her kind?  
  
"Faith, there's something else."  
  
Faith nodded encouragingly. "Go on Ken."  
  
"Willow said Jonathan might want to take me dancing afterwards. I was hoping," the girl glanced at the floor again. "You could teach me."  
  
"I'd love to Ken, I really would. But the sort of dancing I know is kind of formal, not the sort that's done today." "Oh," Kendra looked disappointed. "But Willow told me you were teaching Xander the horizontal mambo. Could you teach me this dance?"  
  
Faith's mouth dropped open. That Rosenberg, she fumed, it's always the quiet ones. Judging from the guileless look on Kendra's face she thankfully didn't have a clue what she'd said. Desperate to change the subject she asked. "Xander not with you Ken?" usually they walked home together for company and security.  
  
The Slayer looked puzzled. "Have you forgotten? Jonathan said he gave Xander a note from you at lunch."  
  
The vampiress felt an icy hand grip her stomach. "K...Kendra I didn't send -."  
  
Suddenly the front window shattered and a brick with a note attached hit the carpet with a thud. Her limbs shaking, Faith walked over to the brick, pulled the note off and quickly read it. A moment later she let out a pain- filled scream, dropped the note, and leapt out of the window.  
  
* * *  
  
"Faith. Next time you see your boy he'll have a lot more in common with us. He'll be one of us. Bring a stake. Love Angelus. P.S. Darla approves." Giles put the note down, unable to quell his stomach's nervous somersaulting. One of his children at the mercy of that fiend, they'd got lucky last time. He somehow doubted they would again.  
  
"Darla approves." Buffy glanced around the library looking at the hastily summonsed group. "Darla approves? What does that bitch approve of?"  
  
Giles shifted uncomfortably. He'd guessed that Xander and Faith's relationship had changed a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't the most natural of relationships, but it was none of his business and it did make two people who hadn't experienced much love happy, but he had hoped the boy would have the courage to tell the others before they found out. Although the Watcher had never envisaged them finding out like this. "Em, Faith and Xander have developed intimate relations."  
  
Buffy's nose crinkled up in puzzlement. "Intimate relations?"  
  
"They've been doing the horizontal mambo." Willow interrupted, rather unhelpfully in Giles' opinion.  
  
"Xander's been making it with that Faith chick? Wow, he's the man!" Jonathan exclaimed.  
  
"They've been having sex! Xander's with a vampire! That's sick! That's worse, that's worse than wearing last year's fashions!" That came from Cordelia. Next it was Kendra's turn. Her face paler than Giles would have thought possible, the Slayer turned to Willow. "I asked Faith to teach me the horizontal mambo because of you."  
  
"Hey don't worry about it," Oz broke in. "Could be worse, she could have agreed then you'd really be in for a shock."  
  
"Dear god," moaned the Watcher his head clasped in his hands. He was starting to think that his predecessors had been right all along about Slayers not having a life outside of their duties. "Can we please focus?" he pleaded.  
  
"When I get my hands on him, I'll make him wish Angelus still had him," Buffy muttered.  
  
"Wait a minute," exclaimed Jonathan, a look of puzzlement on his face. "Shouldn't we be contacting the police if Xander's been kidnapped?" His eyes widened. "You're saying Faith's a vampire. You're all nuts, I'm outta here."  
  
"Kendra!"  
  
The Slayer picked up the nerd by the scruff of his shirt. "I hope this won't affect our date Jonathan," she said apologetically.  
  
The boy's eyes bulged in shock. After a minute he managed to speak. "Well it's not like I'm swamped with offers so no."  
  
"Good answer," Oz nodded approvingly. "Blowing off a Slayer, probably not a good life choice."  
  
"What's a Slayer?"  
  
"In a minute Jonathan," Giles replied impatiently. "What did the girl who gave you the note look like?"  
  
"Well she didn't come out of the shadows so I didn't see her face too clearly. But she was blonde, blue eyes, built like a swimsuit model and -."  
  
"Darla." Giles sighed. That more or less confirmed it, it wasn't a ruse, Xander had been taken. The only question remained was how to get him back unharmed.  
  
"Jonathan," it was Kendra. "Do you want to help us?"  
  
"With vampires? Well I don't -. Well all right, Xander's always been pretty cool to me and he did encourage me to ask you out."  
  
"Another civilian, bloody marvellous. "My cup runneth over," the Watcher muttered. He wondered idly if the Council would accept his resignation. Probably not, way his bloody luck was going they'd dig another Slayer out from somewhere for him to take care of. Three Slayers, he shuddered at the thought.  
  
"Giles?"  
  
"Yes Buffy?"  
  
"What does 'Darla approves' actually mean."  
  
"Ah," Giles glanced around the room to see every one except a pale faced Jenny and a sickly looking Oz staring at him, those two had worked it out. "I suspect Darla was curious about what exactly Faith found so alluring about Xander. So," the Englishman searched for the most palatable way of putting it. "I think she forced herself on him."  
  
Willow collapsed into Oz's arms, while Jonathan comforted a shaken Kendra and Cordelia let out a most unladylike curse before starting to cry. Buffy though regained her composure. "I'm not letting them turn Xander," she declared defiantly. "What's the plan Giles?"  
  
Giles paused in thought. "The first thing we must do is find Faith and prevent her from indulging in a suicide mission. The only question is where will she be?"  
  
"Well duh," Cordy spoke up, her mascara running and her normally healthy tan grey. "Where do we always go for info on a demon's whereabouts?"  
  
Giles exchanged a glance with Buffy. "Willy's." 


	17. Willy Meet Ripper

Blood Tears 17 - Willy Meet Ripper  
  
"Bloody hell." Giles stumbled over the bar's threshold, his eyes widening in shock at the chaos that met them.  
  
Three different colours of blood were splattered on the bar's walls, floor and even the ceiling. The jukebox had been thrown from one end of the bar to the other, while the pool table had been broken into two roughly halves and smashed chairs and tables lay scattered across the blood stained floor. Glancing at the liquor cabinet behind the bar, Giles saw that less than a third of the bottles remained unbroken.  
  
On the floor there lay the bodies of half a dozen demons as well as around ten tell-tale dust piles. And on the only remaining standing table there lay Willy, pinned there by Faith's hand around his throat, his face turning blue from a lack of air. "Where's Angelus!" shrieked the vampiress, her eyes gleaming golden. "Tell me where he is!"  
  
"Buffy, Kendra! Get Faith off him," Giles ordered.  
  
Once the enraged vampiress had been dragged off the whimpering and gasping bar owner, Giles strode over to the table and shoved the unfortunate man back down on it. "Have you seen you what she's done to the place, killed my clientele, wrecked my furnishings, -."  
  
"Do you think I give a damn about your little fleapit?" Giles broke in coldly. "What I want from you is answers. Where is Angelus?"  
  
"How much?" the all too familiar greed was back in the bar owner's eyes.  
  
His fist smashed into Willy's face, breaking his nose and sending the bartender rolling off the edge of the table, falling to the floor. Ignoring the gang's shocked gasp, he brought his foot down hard on Willy's left hand, breaking fingers, before clutching hold of a handful of the screaming bartender's hair. After pulling the man's head up, the Watcher savagely drove his head back down onto the hard floor before grabbing a broken beer bottle off the floor and waving the jagged end in the bartender's face. "Not tonight Willy," Giles warned coldly. "One of our group is missing and I have neither the patience nor the inclination to haggle with you. Where is Angelus' base? Or," the Watcher moved the jagged end to the space between the bartender's bulging eyes. "Or which eye do you want to lose first, left or right? Two questions, decide which to answer."  
  
"Giles -."  
  
"Quiet Buffy!" the Watcher roared. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt your elders when they're conversing. Clock's ticking Willy?"  
  
"I don't know much," Willy shrieked when he allowed the bottle's jagged edge to gently brush the bar owner's skin. "Just that three weeks ago Angelus' gang started moving out of Sunnydale. Word is they've forted up outside of town."  
  
"Damn it," Giles muttered as he released his grip on the bartender and stood. What Willy had said made sense. Around three weeks ago, vampire activity had dropped off considerably. At the time he'd put it down to having two Slayers and an ensoulled vampiress on staff. Now it took on an altogether more ominous face.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, the Watcher saw Faith effortlessly throw off Kendra and Buffy before beginning to stride towards him, her gaze intent on the cringing bar owner at his feet. The Englishman swallowed hard before stepping into the vampiress' path. "No Faith."  
  
The vampiress growled menacingly. "Your Slayers couldn't stop me, what makes you think can stop me from ripping his lungs out?"  
  
"Because," Giles forced himself to meet the vampiress' cold gaze. "Xander wouldn't want it."  
  
To his surprise the vampiress looked away first. "Fine," she muttered. "Then I'll find Angelus myself."  
  
"I think not," Giles glanced towards the bar entrance. "Jenny! Oz!"  
  
On his shout, the techno-pagan and the werewolf stepped forward and fired tranquiliser darts into the vampiress. Her eyes flaming with anger, Faith lunged at him, only to fall at his feet. After sighing in relief, he'd been far from sure that the darts would work, Giles crouched over the unconscious vampiress. "I'm terribly sorry Faith, but Xander wouldn't want you losing your life in a pointless suicide mission either."  
  
Standing, the Watcher glanced at the two Slayers. He'd been shaken when Faith had broken free of the duo, whenever they'd sparred, either of the Slayers had appeared roughly equal to the vampiress in power. But just moments earlier, she'd thrown them both off effortlessly. "Kendra, Buffy. Please carry Faith to the van."  
  
"So Giles, about my overdue books? You are still just fining and not beating students?"  
  
"Yes, very amusing Oz. Now let's get back to the library."  
  
* * *  
  
Angelus glared at the crumpled body at his feet in disgust. The torture session was not progressing as he'd hoped. The vampire crouched and lifted the boy's head by his hair. The boy screamed when hurt, but there was no fear or hatred in him for his demon to feed off, he was just an empty shell. The Master vampire realised he'd made a critical error. By revealing the boy's resemblance to Faith's dead brother, he'd broken the boy's spirit. Now the youth didn't care enough about what happened to him. He should have saved the information until later, for a final crushing blow.  
  
There were things he could do to make the boy beg, but they would cause permanent damage and he needed the boy fit for the next part of his plan. Angelus glanced across at a watching Darla. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he hid a smile. After one of her disciplining sessions, Darla was always wonderfully submissive. "Come here."  
  
Her gaze fixed firmly on the ground, the blonde hurried over his side. "Yes sire."  
  
Angelus choose to run his hand through his childe's golden locks for a few seconds before replying, savouring both the silky softness of her hair and her nervous anticipation. "How did the boy react when you had your fun with him?"  
  
"Sire?"  
  
"Answer me," Angelus grabbed a handful of the blonde's hair and pulled, making her yelp in pain. "Otherwise."  
  
The vampiress swallowed. "He didn't react at first, just took it," she smiled. "But soon he was sobbing and begging me to stop."  
  
Smiling proudly, Angelus ran his finger down the blonde's cheek. "It's his fault you had to be punished. It's time you got your revenge," he laughed at the sudden eagerness in his childe's face. "But Darla, I want to hear him beg."  
  
The blonde vampiress nodded dutifully before walking over to the crumpled body and kneeling beside it. Angelus smiled as he watched the boy's face pale as the childe began to stroke the youth's face and whisper in his ear. Whatever else she was, Darla was an expert in pain. Maybe he'd give her the boy as a play-thing after he'd turned him. And if he managed to kill Faith.  
  
* * *  
  
"Right Willow, what we need to do is a search for an increase in unexplained deaths in any near-by towns," said Giles. "Only in Sunnydale would the arrival of such a large group of vampires go unnoticed. There has to be something - newspaper reports, coroner's records or law enforcement bulletins."  
  
The Wicca nodded, obviously eager to do something to aid her oldest friend. "I'll get right on it. Jonathan, you hack too don't you?"  
  
The newest addition to his team nodded. "I'll get onto the coroner offices."  
  
"Don't bother."  
  
"Why not?" Giles turned to the vampiress. Since her awakening Faith had been subdued, almost defeated. "We've got to do something."  
  
"No matter how useless it is? Madrid 1742, Rome 1744, Paris 1747, and London 1749. Our great European tour," the vampiress paused, clearly lost in visceral memories. "In each city, we angered the local population so much that we had to go to ground for weeks at a time. To avoid being noticed we killed only vagrant, burying their bodies after we'd fed. It's my guess that Angelus will the same now - the homeless, hitchhikers, anybody who won't be missed too quickly. If he needs extra he'll supplement by stealing or buying from a butchers or slaughterhouse."  
  
"Damn it," Giles groaned.  
  
"Can't you track Angelus, with him being your sire?" Cordelia suggested her eyes filled with desperation.  
  
"I can sense the average vampire at a distance of maybe 100 metres, my sire from three to four times that, but if they've left the city.."  
  
"What makes her different?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Giles turned to a nervous-looking Jonathan.  
  
"Faith's a good vampire right? If they're trying to make him into one of them, why don't we just turn him good like her?"  
  
Faith's chair flew backwards as she leapt to her feet. Her demonic face showing, the vampiress let out an angry howl. "He'll have still been killed you little fool! He'll still never be able to walk in sunlight again! He'll still live to see everybody he's ever loved die! He'll still wear this face and carry a demon inside his body!"  
  
"Faith, calm down!" Giles stepped between the raging vampiress and the trembling boy. "Jonathan's idea has some merit as a last resort."  
  
"I can't believe -."  
  
"Buffy! Now is not the bloody time! Having our friend on our side instead of a murderous rampage would be an improvement, however slight. Faith, would you be able to tell when Xander was turned?"  
  
The vampiress hesitated before nodding slowly. "It depends, assuming that Angelus does the turning himself yes. But if another vampire other than my sire does it no."  
  
Giles digested that piece of information. "This is what we're going to do. Willow, Jonathan, carry out the searches I requested in case Angelus has turned sloppy. Try one for blood-bank robberies too. Buffy, you take Faith and Kendra and search Sunnydale in case Willy was lying or misinformed. The rest of you check out the armoury, I somehow think we might have unwelcome visitors. I'll look over the curse and its translation." 


	18. Conscience

Blood Tears 18 - Conscience  
  
Angelus grinned down at the bloodied and battered body at his feet. Sometimes Darla even amazed him with her warped inventiveness. Once she'd finished with the boy, the floodgates had been well and truly re-opened. The last two days had been extremely enjoyable; inflicting pain on the boy had been almost as much fun as imagining the turmoil that Faith would have been enduring. But all good things must come to an end.  
  
Knowing full well that the boy was clinging to consciousness, he turned to Spike stood beside him. "Tonight's the night I turn him," he smiled at the boy's choked gasp. "I want him to have a special first meal. Send some of the boys to Sunnydale to kidnap the cheerleader and the witch."  
  
"Right ho boss," Spike nodded before crouching over the boy. "Welcome to the family whelp."  
  
"Darla, you'll have the job of supervising his initiation into our ways. Try and make it something special." Angelus waited until both his children had left before turning back to the brat. "Now where were we?" His fangs elongated. "Oh of course, how silly of me to forget."  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm afraid the curse is a no-go." Giles said heavily, conscious of the devastated gazes on his charges' faces. "We have all the essentials except one - it must be performed by a medicine man or woman of the Apache tribe."  
  
"No," Faith fell into Kendra's arms. "His last chance."  
  
"We have one," it was a pale-faced Jenny. "I was sent here when Faith re- surfaced to spy on her, see that the curse was unbroken. Then," the computer teacher smiled weakly at him. "I fell in love."  
  
Giles' world collapsed, she'd lied to him. What else had been a lie, loving him? Was that just an excuse to get close to the Scoobies and Faith? Shaking his head he forced his mind back onto the important matter at hand. Xander had to be the priority. "You'll do the curse?"  
  
Jenny's face fell at his tone. "Of course I will. Rupert -."  
  
"Good. Then all we can do is wait, unless we get a lucky break," he refused to look at his girlfriend. "Buffy, can you and Kendra patrol on your own tonight?" The Watcher turned his attention to a crying Faith. "One way or another we'll get him back to you."  
  
The vampiress looked up, centuries of pain visible in her dark brown eyes. "But dead or alive Giles? Dead or alive?" she whispered.  
  
* * *  
  
"You bloody wankers!" roared Spike. "I wanted the Chase and Rosenberg bints!"  
  
"You said a cheerleader," one of the vampires said slowly. "She's wearing the outfit."  
  
"And she's a witch, she burnt my brother's face off when we snatched her," put in the other.  
  
"Why me!" why were the majority of his kindred complete and utter pillocks? Spike felt a greater than usual urge to kill something - namely the morons in front of him.  
  
"What seems to be the problem Spike?"  
  
Spike turned to see his sire stood in the room's doorway, a beaming smile in place. "These stupid plonkers have brought the wrong soddin' girls," he explained, "some tramp called Harmony -."  
  
"You'll be hearing from my daddy's att-."  
  
"BLOODY SHUT UP!" Spike roared, god she was annoying. Never had the phrase too dumb to be scared had greater meaning. "And that Amy Madison bint," he pointed to the other girl, sobbing quietly in the corner. At least one of the silly bitches had the sense to realise what she was facing.  
  
"No problem." The two vampires he'd sent to collect the girls let out a collective sigh of relief only to disappear into dust when Angelus threw a pair of stakes into their unbeating hearts. "No stupid plonkers." The Master vampire turned to leave only to look at the two frightened girls. "They'll have to do. Take them to the storeroom. And Spike?"  
  
"Yes boss?"  
  
"No more mistakes."  
  
"No boss."  
  
* * *  
  
"Argh!"  
  
Xander's eyes flew open to see Darla straddling him, her hands caressing his body. She smiled at him. "You're awake."  
  
"Want you," he growled, his eyes glittering golden with desire. He reached up to tear open the blonde's dress only for her to knock his hand away and laugh.  
  
"My, but death's turned shy Xander into quite the forward man," she giggled girlishly. "Isn't there something you want more?"  
  
Suddenly the newly-awoken vampire was aware of a gnawing hunger that even Darla's charms could not sate. "Blood."  
  
"And blood you shall have." The vampiress pulled him upright. "But first a kiss." The blonde crushed her lips to his, sliding his tongue into eagerly waiting mouth. After a minute she withdrew, a radiant smile in place. "Now, dinner is in the next room."  
  
"So which one do you want? We tried for Chase and Rosenberg but you just can't get good help these days, not like in the 19th century."  
  
"I'm glad, I want to turn Willow, and Cordelia, I owe that bitch, I want to take my time with her, teach her the true meaning of pain and the definition of fear." Xander glanced from one girl to the other, savouring the fright he saw in both their faces. Finally he had the respect he'd always wanted and more power than he'd ever dreamed of. He shifted into his demonic face and laughed at the girls' muffled screams of terror. He looked at Harmony and smiled, remembering all the times she'd insulted and humiliated him when he was alive. He pointed at the cringing cheerleader. "I'll take her." He strode towards the sobbing blonde before turning back to Darla and pointing at the gagged Wicca. "Make her watch."  
  
Darla laughed. "Oh you're a natural!"  
  
Once he'd finished his meal he threw the corpse aside and strode over to where Darla was holding a wide-eyed Amy. Exulting at the terror he saw in her eyes, he ran a hand down the girl's body, making her whimper when he painfully groped her chest.  
  
"Oh Xander, you're making me quite jealous."  
  
He laughed at the invitation he saw in the blonde's eyes. "Shall we?" An idea occurred to him, he looked down at Amy. "Don't worry Amy," he stroked the crying girl's face with deceptive gentleness, as he unzipped his jeans, "I wouldn't want you to be left out."  
  
"I've got a surprise for you."  
  
Xander glanced up from his pleased inspection of the sobbing girl at his feet. Oh the fun he was going to have with her. "Really what?" he pulled his jeans up and fastened them.  
  
"Now if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise would it?" the vampiress giggled. "It's in the next room. Come on!"  
  
"Daddy!" Xander beamed at the look of horror on the face of the man who'd made his first sixteen years a living hell. "How?"  
  
"Mr. Harris thinks he's quite the stud. Thought he could pull little ole me."  
  
Xander's face darkened. Grabbing hold of the blonde by her elbows, he pulled her towards him and looked deep into her eyes. "Tried to pull my girl. Did he frighten you sweetie?"  
  
"Oh yes," the blonde purred in return. "Almost cried I did. Such nasty words, they scared me so."  
  
"Then he'll have to be punished."  
  
Darla beamed. "And I've brought just the things." The vampiress spun out of the teen's grasp and walked over to a table in the corner and pulled the cloth off revealing a selection of gleaming surgical instruments, and garage and garden tools.  
  
Xander's eyes widened. "Presents for me!" he exclaimed. "As a boy I never got toys at Christmas. Daddy spent all his money on booze."  
  
"Oh my poor Xander," Darla stroked his chin. "But I've made up for it?"  
  
"You're just the best!"  
  
"Better than Faith!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
Darla beamed at him before making for the door. "Bye dear."  
  
Xander sulked. "You're not going?"  
  
"I thought you should have some father-son bonding time. I wouldn't want to intrude. A young vampire's first torture session should be special. Have fun, I'll be back in an hour."  
  
"So father," Xander glanced down at the bound and gagged figure, savouring the fear he could smell coming off the man. For the first time he was not the victim. "Bolt cutters, shears, glass, sandpaper, hammer, chisel, scalpel, surgical drill, or blow-torch? What do you think?"  
  
* * *  
  
A cup dropped out of Faith's hand, shattering on the library floor and spilling blood on its carpet. The vampiress stumbled to her feet, grabbing at the library counter to aid her usually flawless balance. "Angelus has made a new childe, he's awoken," she said unsteadily, her eyes welling with red tears.  
  
Giles paled, for a second he struggled for breath. All that desperate searching was in vain. Forcing his emotions under control the Watcher stood. "Right then we'll start with the ritual. Ms. Calendar, how long will it take?"  
  
"About an hour, maybe an hour and a half."  
  
"Very well, Willow and I will help you with the casting; while Cordelia, Oz, and Jonathan will help you prepare the components. Kendra, Buffy," he cast a pained glance towards the sobbing vampiress, "Look after Faith."  
  
"I get to help in a spell. Cool!"  
  
Giles' iron self-control snapped. "Not cool at all Jonathan," he growled dangerously. "A very brave young man had to die to provide you with this opportunity so not bloody cool at all!"  
  
* * *  
  
Xander stared down at the limbless corpse at his feet, a smile twisting his features. The last hour had probably been the most enjoyable he could remember, more than ample payment for the years of abuse he'd suffered at the bastard's hands. Chuckling slightly, he turned back to the table; maybe he'd use the scalpel to carve his initials into his father's forehead, now there was an idea.  
  
Suddenly his knees gave way beneath him, sending him plummeting to the floor. His demon screamed in terror as something slammed into his body, enveloping his entire being in an unbelievably hot glow. After a few moments the heat passed, but what happened next caused him to roll around the dusty floor, convulsing wildly.  
  
Visions of what he'd done since his awakening flooded his mind. Of Harmony's shocked face as he tore into her, bleeding her dry. Of his father screaming in agony as he'd used the blow-torch to put out his eyes. But worse of all was the anguished look of bewilderment on Amy's face as he'd forced himself on her.  
  
"What have I done?" the man whispered as he staggered to his feet, his stomach clenching in agony and his limbs shaking as if struck by some palsy. He had to leave, get out of here. He made it half way to the door before stopping. He couldn't leave, he'd killed twice but to leave Amy, one of his oldest friends, would mean condemning a third to the same. He couldn't do that.  
  
The sound of Darla's laughter in the corridor outside ended all lingering thoughts of escaping alone. Smoothing his face and forcing his twitching limbs under control, he waited for the blonde to enter. If she sensed his soul. The vampiress strode into the room. She smiled proudly at the body on the floor and laughed merrily. "Angelus himself would be proud of that." The blonde grabbed his hand. "Come on lover, Angelus wants to meet his new childe."  
  
"Not yet." Forcing back all feeling of revulsion Xander stepped in close to the vampiress, slid his hands beneath her skirt and ran them up her legs until they were resting on the golden-haired beauty's bare ass. "I want to see Amy again; I want to make her scream my name."  
  
"Oh Xander," the blonde cooed. "You are a quick learner. But we'll have to hurry. Angelus doesn't like to be kept waiting."  
  
"What I have planned won't take long," Xander bit at Darla's ear. "Besides forget Angelus, you're mine now," he whispered. "I want you for myself."  
  
As he'd calculated Darla beamed. "Oh Xander, I do hope he lets me keep you I really do. We'd have such fun together. Now let's go and see Amy. She'll be missing us. Maybe when we've finished you could turn her make her part of our family."  
  
"Maybe." Xander agreed as he followed the vampiress back to Amy's room. Once the vampiress had unlocked the door and walked in, he spoke again. "There's just one thing."  
  
The vampiress turned back to face him, a look of confusion on her beautiful face. "What's that my love?"  
  
The splinter he'd taken from the other room flickered up, slamming through Darla's heart. "I never liked you." He turned to Amy and flinched.  
  
The Wicca was laid in a far corner of the room, tears rolling down her terrified face. Her clothes lay in tatters, torn by him and Darla when they'd violated her. He could smell the blood still seeping from between her legs, she'd been a virgin and he'd taken advantage of the opportunity given to him to be a brutal as possible.  
  
Xander took an unneeded breath, this was the hardest thing he'd ever done. But as hard as was for him it had to be a thousand times harder for Amy. Stepping forward he cringed as Amy rolled into a protective ball, the terror he smelt coming off her in increasing waves. He reached out to touch her on the shoulder only for her to pull away whimpering. Not knowing what else to do he began to talk.  
  
"Amy, it's me Xander. Mrs. Wells always said I wasn't any good with words but here goes. As you'll have figured by now I'm a vampire." He swallowed as the impact of what he'd just said hit him before continuing. "Before when I," he couldn't say the word 'raped', "attacked you, I was soulless. You remember Faith?" At her slight nod he continued. "She's got a soul and somehow I've been given one too. I know there are a million reasons you shouldn't trust me, but if I was here to harm you why would I have dusted her?" he glanced towards the dustpile by the door. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you, more than you'll ever know and I hope you let me apologise in some small way for what I did by helping you to escape. But you have to trust me."  
  
After a few seconds the girl nodded. Xander's shoulders slumped forward in relief. He quickly removed her gag, unable to meet the raging hatred he saw in her eyes, and unfastened the ropes binding her wrists. He reached to help her to her feet only for the girl to scream hysterically. "Don't you touch me!"  
  
Xander sighed. "Amy, I know there's nobody you'd rather have dead than me and I don't blame you. But you can barely stand, much less walk. Even carrying you I can move faster than you could. Please."  
  
The girl nodded. "Okay," she whispered.  
  
"Good girl," Xander smiled weakly before grabbing an old sack from the ground. "Wrap yourself in that, it'll lessen the contact between us." Once the girl had complied he gently lifted her into his arms. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, blood tears streaking his cheeks.  
  
* * *  
  
Xander faltered as he reached the outer door. Beyond it he could sense two of his brethren. He glanced down at the sobbing girl in his arms. "Amy, you've got to trust me," he muttered in her ear, trying to ignore the way she recoiled at his voice. "There are two vampires outside the door so I'm going to have to distract them."  
  
Sighing at the almost total blankness in her eyes, Xander shifted into his demonic face and pushed the door open. "Hello boys, bought you a treat," it was an effort to ignore Amy's choked sob. "But she's not for eating, Spike's taken a fancy to her, wants her to take his Dru's place. But he knows you boys could do with some fun."  
  
"Looks like somebody's already had some," remarked one of the vampires with a lecherous grin.  
  
Xander forced a chuckle. "Can you blame me? Look at the body on that, she's a real nice piece."  
  
One of the vampires grinned back at him before pulling the shrieking girl out of his arms and pushing her up against the building wall. As soon as the second vampire turned away from him to watch his companion with Amy, Xander moved. Covering the space separating him from the other in a blur, he thrust his stake through the nearest vampire's heart.  
  
The second let out a howl and shoved Amy to the ground before leaping at him. Xander smoothly sidestepped his charge before driving his knee into the vampire's stomach. As the vampire doubled up, the newly made vampire thrust his stake upwards into the vampire's chest.  
  
Instantly the ensoulled vampire was by Amy's side. Realising the Wicca had fainted he lifted her gently and hurried towards where the vampires parked their cars. He looked around and saw that he was in Lantern Rise, a small town some thirty miles away from Sunnydale, just over the county line. He glanced back fearfully at the building at the sound of commotion. They'd discovered their escape. He couldn't let them hurt her again. After carefully placing the girl in the back of the nearest car, he hurried into the front seat and hot-wired the car, remembering all of his Uncle Rory's lessons. Within a few seconds the car's engine started.  
  
* * *  
  
"They've escaped!" Angelus' eyes glittered golden. "But I thought you said he'd been turned."  
  
"He had," Spike replied. "He'd fed, raped the other bint, and tortured his dad to death, real promising. Then he disappeared."  
  
"Darla's behind this! That little whore will pay!" Angelus raged. Oh, her torture would go down in the annals of vampire history, no vampire would even look at him wrong when he'd finished with her. He'd start with not feeding her for a month, then give her to some newbies to use, then nail her on a cross and pour holy water on her daily, maybe cut her up with a knife blessed by a priest. Or maybe..  
  
Spike interrupted his dreams. "No boss, she's dead. Brat dusted her."  
  
"What!" the master vampire paused in thought for a few seconds. "They've cursed him with a soul!" finally Angelus smiled slowly. "Get the troops ready, I'm sure we'll be having visitors soon." 


	19. Broken Hearts

Blood Tears 19 - Broken Hearts  
  
Faith's head shot up and turned in the direction of the library double- doors. She began to stand, her eyes shining. "Xander!"  
  
The door crashed open, bringing everybody else to their feet. Through it came a haunted looking Xander carrying a crumpled body in his arms. The brunette raced up to embrace her boyfriend only for him to sidestep her. Hurt and bewildered, she watched as he walked over to his friends, the icy cold expression on his face discouraging any questions.  
  
The newly made vampire gently placed the body on one of the couches. Willow let out a gasp. "Amy!"  
  
"Yeah," Xander stopped speaking for a second. "She's in a pretty bad way. She saw me kill Harmony and then I," the youth choked back a sob, "I raped her."  
  
Oh no wonder he couldn't look her in the eye. Wanting to comfort him, to tell him that she still loved him, Faith reached out to hug him from behind. And flew across the room to land in a stunned heap when her boyfriend spun round and smashed a left hook into her jaw. She looked up at her cold-eyed boyfriend with a mixture of anguish and fear. But he couldn't, he had a soul, and yet he was striding towards her with a stake in hand.  
  
"You damn whore," the youthful vampire grated. "How sick are you? Using me to ease your guilt over the brother you tortured and murdered nearly three hundred years ago. I'm sick of your games you slut!"  
  
Whore. Slut. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard herself called names she'd never dreamed her Xander would use to describe her. It wasn't true, she loved him, he was the only man she'd ever loved and he hated her. If he wanted to kill her let him, she couldn't, wouldn't, fight him.  
  
"Xander! Calm down!" the Watcher grabbed at the newly-made vampire's shoulder. Xander let out a low growl before slamming his elbow into the Watcher's face, sending him crashing into the bookcase behind him collapsing it under the impact.  
  
The vampire stood over Faith's crumpled body. She started to close her eyes, readying herself for the impact of the stake. "No!" Kendra hit Xander at shoulder-height sending the pair of them crashing to the floor. Xander let out an enraged roar and threw the Slayer off him before jumping to his feet, staring a hole through Faith, leaping through the window, and rushing off.  
  
Buffy ran over to Kendra, pulling her fellow Slayer to her feet. "Kendra, you and Jonathan look after Faith. The rest of you help Giles. I'm going after Xander."  
  
"Buffy, please." Faith wiped at her eyes. "P.please don't hurt him."  
  
The Slayer smiled reassuringly. "I won't hurt him."  
  
* * *  
  
"Much," Buffy muttered as she dropped through the window and out into the school grounds. In the distance she could see the rapidly receding figure of Xander. Cursing, she set off after him. After a few minutes she caught up to him. Grabbing his shoulder, she spun him round and ducked under his right cross before delivering a kick to the vampire's knee that sent him down to the ground. "Don't try and get up Xander," she warned coldly, her cool eyes betraying none of the pain she felt. "I don't want to have to hurt you."  
  
"Hurt me?" the newly-turned vampire laughed bitterly. "I seriously doubt anything you could say or do would add much to the pain I'm already in. In the past three days I've found the woman I loved was with me out of guilt, been raped and murdered, turned into a vampire, and I've raped and murdered. Throw in the conscience with a shit-load of guilt thrown in for free courtesy of Willow Express, the Wicca gift service that just keeps on giving, and I've had a bitch of a three days."  
  
The Slayer's face nearly crumpled at the misery she heard in her friend's voice. "I can't help you with most of that stuff, but she loves you Xand."  
  
"Love!" Xander laughed harshly, his eyes flickered golden for a second reminding the Slayer of her friend's new condition. "And what the hell would a slut who's spent the last century screwing man, woman, beast, and demon for cash know about love? Hell, if I'd saved up my birthday and Christmas money I could have probably hired her and a friend - twice the fun and none of the lies."  
  
Enraged, Buffy drove a foot into the vampire's stomach, cracking ribs. "If I had some holy water right now," she fumed. "You have no idea do you? After you left just then, after Kendra had stopped you from killing her, do you know what she said? 'Please don't hurt him'."  
  
"No you've no idea Buff. Do you know why that slut got off her back and came to Sunnydale?" the vampire grimaced. "Because I reminded her of her brother. This is the boy who died at his sister's hands, the same sister who tore his virginity from him before making him watch as his parents were killed, then making him beg for his life before painting the walls of his backwoods cabin with his blood. Oh yeah, Angelus can't half paint a picture with a few words. That's the cold-hearted bitch I shared a bed with, made what I thought was love to. Somebody who was with me out of guilt."  
  
"Guilt?" Buffy crouched over the crumpled vampire. "Maybe that's why she came her. But she took you into her home to protect you from your father because she cared. She trained you, even let you move Kendra into her home because she cared. She even defied her own Sire to protect you. That's not guilt Xander, that's love. And the last three days," Buffy shuddered at the recent memory. "When she found out you'd been kidnapped she really messed up Willy's."  
  
"With all her experience with them you'd think she'd do a better job."  
  
Buffy's fist slammed into the new vampire's mouth, snapping his head back. "I'm cutting you some slack because of what's happened but keep pushing and you're going to end up slain, promise or no promise."  
  
"Gee, another woman who lies," Xander snorted bitterly, "imagine my surprise."  
  
This time Buffy chose to ignore Xander's comment. "I wasn't happy when I found out about you two, but any fool can see she loves you. Each night she's torn through the city. Every demon or crook in the city stays in at night now for fear they'll run into her. And during the day Giles has been so worried about her, he's had Kendra and I off school to watch her in case she does something stupid."  
  
"Like forget to charge?" the vampire pulled himself upright and started to stagger away from her. "Tell the bitch I said go to hell."  
  
"Where are you going?" the Slayer hurried after the vampire.  
  
"Well it's obvious you won't let me slay Faith without going through both you and Kendra. And if I could, which I couldn't, she's not worth it. So I'm going to kill my sire."  
  
"What!" Buffy grabbed her friend's bicep and spun him round to face him. "Are you crazy? He's over 400 years old and has 20 plus vamps backing him up. You'll be killed!"  
  
"You're forgetting I'm already dead."  
  
Xander pulled away from her, his eyes determined he continued on his way. Buffy moved smoothly into action, sweeping the vampire's leg from underneath him, sending him crashing to the road's gravely surface. Before her friend had a chance to recover, Buffy brought her foot down hard on the man's head knocking him out. "Sorry Xand, can't let you go." Grunting slightly at the effort she lifted the limp body onto her shoulder.  
  
* * *  
  
Faith tensed as Xander's eyes flickered unsteadily open. She'd been shocked and angered when Buffy had carried a beaten and battered Xander back to the library but then relieved when the blonde had explained what Xander had planned to do. Face Angelus? A newly turned vampire, especially one sired by him, would have been torn to pieces.  
  
After a brief discussion it was agreed that she and the two Slayers would take Xander back to the mansion while Giles and the others would take Amy to the hospital before meeting up with them at the mansion. And now he was awake.  
  
Forcing a smile, she approached his bed and reached across to stroke his cheek only for his hand to snap up and grab her hand in a vice-like grip. "Don't," growled Xander, his eyes glittering.  
  
"Xander please," she looked at her boyfriend with hurt in her liquid eyes. She could easily have broken his grip despite his newly augmented strength but she couldn't hurt him. "I.I love you."  
  
"Love?" the man laughed bitterly before releasing her arm and forcing her back to her seat with the hatred in his eyes. "You spent a century banging anything that moved, are only with me because of guilt over the brother you tortured and murdered. What the hell do you know about love?"  
  
The vampiress forced herself not to react to the pain her boyfriend's words caused her. "I know I love you more than I ever thought possible," she said softly. "All I want is a chance to explain."  
  
"Fine, then explain."  
  
Faith took an unneeded breath. Unable to meet the loathing she saw in the eyes of the man she loved, she looked down at the floor. "You're at least partially right," she sighed. "Six months ago I was working as a whore in Boston while still wallowing in my guilt. Then this demon called Whistler came to visit me -."  
  
"Client of yours?"  
  
The vampiress closed her eyes for a second before continuing. "He told me that the Powers That Be wanted me to fight on the side of good, to be a Champion like Buffy and Kendra. I refused so he showed me photographs of you all," she paused. "When I saw your photograph, I was freaked. Yeah, I came here 'cause you looked like Bucky."  
  
"I knew it."  
  
"But then I met you. On that first night when you searched for me in the rain because you believed in me, I remember holding you in my arms so frightened that you were going to die but then you insisted we went to the library to warn your friends, because of your loyalty. And then you moved in here with me," she smiled. "And your presence turned it from a house to a home. The last time I laughed before you was at another's pain but now you made me laugh with your puns and stories. Whenever I woke screaming from a nightmare, more often than not you'd be there to check on me. I remember how determined you were in training. And I remember my surprise when you first asked my opinion about something, nobody had ever cared about what I had to say before."  
  
The vampiress looked up at Xander. The newly made vampire's face was expressionless but she could sense the hatred, anger, hurt, and confusion inside him. "That first night we were together was amazing. For the first time somebody was with not just because I was a nice piece of ass but because they cared for me." She wiped at the tears that always appeared at that happy memory. "You do look a lot like Bucky and even share his kindness and sweetness. But you're smarter, more loyal, and determined, and braver than he ever was."  
  
"Don't be too hard on the kid. After all it's hard to be brave when the person you idolise and love most is the one torturing you to death."  
  
Faith gasped in pain at Xander's coldly delivered words. It was over; he'd never love her again. She stepped towards the bed-ridden figure to slap his face only to turn and run out of the room, tears streaking down her face.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh no."  
  
Giles looked up from the paper he'd been trying without success to read. "Buffy?"  
  
"Xander's awake."  
  
Willow jumped up, a look of excitement on her face. "But that's a good thing!" her face fell, "isn't it?"  
  
"Not if you're Faith," Kendra replied as she practiced stabbing thin air with her stake. "She's crying." She looked towards him, a hopeful expression on her face. "If Xander's hurt her, it's my turn to beat him up right?"  
  
The Watcher blinked. It wasn't too long ago that Kendra had been Xander's biggest fan. Now it seemed she'd transferred her loyalties to Faith. "I think that's perhaps a little drastic," he ignored Kendra's pout. "Buffy, you and Kendra find Faith. Make sure she doesn't attempt to harm herself. I'll go and talk to Xander." He started to rise.  
  
"I'll come with you."  
  
The Watcher smiled at Willow's eagerness. "I'm afraid not," his heart hardened as Ripper took over. "It's time Mr. Harris and I had a man to man chat."  
  
* * *  
  
"Rupert can I have a word?" Giles turned to face the Apache Indian. "Yes Ms. Calendar?"  
  
The woman faltered at the coldness in his voice. "We haven't spoken since you found out about my reason for being here. I need to talk to you, to explain."  
  
"Well I'm afraid I don't have to listen."  
  
He attempted to step around the woman but she blocked his path. "Rupert, I was sent here to spy on Faith, but my feelings for you aren't a lie," the woman hesitated. "I know you've researched the spell my tribe did on Faith and you'll know that only the chief shaman of the tribe can sanction such a spell. I risked the tribal high council's censure by performing the spell without permission but I did it for a lot of reasons, to help Xander, so that neither Buffy nor Kendra would have to slay him, but chiefly I did it for you."  
  
However much he tried to resist the woman's plaintive tone and words tugged at his heart. Finally he nodded brusquely. "I'll think about what you've said," he said,"but no promises."  
  
The woman nodded reluctantly. "All I want is a chance."  
  
* * *  
  
"You bloody idiot!"  
  
Xander glanced up in surprise. He'd been so engrossed in thinking about what Faith had said he'd not noticed Giles' approach. His eyes narrowed at the look on the librarian's face, or should he say Ripper's? "Giles."  
  
"Shut up," barked the Watcher, his eyes cold. "What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at boy? That beautiful woman adores you and you treat her like rubbish you bloody pillock!"  
  
"Now hold on," Xander growled. "You don't have a clue what you're talking about Watcher."  
  
Giles laughed derisively. The demon inside of Xander growled at the disdain he heard in the sound and he started forward only to recoil in fear when Giles produced a cross in one hand and a small crossbow in the other. "Sit down and shut your hole, I'm talking boy. So, Faith spent the last century as a whore? Has she slept around since coming to Sunnydale?"  
  
"No, but -."  
  
"So that's in the past. You've forgiven far worse acts. You've forgiven Cordelia for making your school life a living hell for ten years. You've managed to ignore my own acts of murder and demon summonsing. So what is the problem?"  
  
"She never told me!"  
  
"Maybe she was ashamed. I wasn't exactly proud of Ripper you pillock!"  
  
Xander grimaced, what Giles said was true, but. "That's not the real problem is it though? She's not with me because she loves me; she's with me to ease the guilt over raping, torturing, and killing her brother who happens to look like me!"  
  
Giles shook his head. "Dear god, you're a plonker. When Faith first arrived in town, the day after you moved into her place I came round to give her your adoption papers. While there she told me of your resemblance to her brother. She felt that with you she had a chance to put the past right."  
  
"See, how sick is that? Being with someone because they look like someone you killed?" Xander felt no elation at being proven right only a hollow emptiness. He'd been in love with a lie.  
  
"I hadn't finished. Four weeks later she turned up at my apartment and asked my advice. She told me she'd fallen in love with you. That you made her laugh, listened to her like nobody had ever done before, and that she loved your bravery, loyalty, kindness, and gentleness." The Watcher's face hardened. "These are qualities you are showing precious little of at this moment in time. You are acting like an obnoxious and selfish wanker."  
  
"Now hold on -."  
  
"I accept that you have undergone some drastic changes in the past few days and have uncovered shocking secrets. But your attitude towards a woman who has shown you nothing but love and affection has to change. After tonight, when we've dealt with Angelus, you have to come to a decision. If you don't want to continue your relationship with Faith then that's you choice, you can either move in with me or back into your own house. But before letting Faith go you might want to consider how happy she made you feel. And if you do decide to finish with her, you will act like a gentleman towards her. Otherwise you will be forced to leave."  
  
Xander's eyes glittered. "This is my hometown," he snarled dangerously. "Let the bitch leave."  
  
"'The bitch' has a life here, friends, a home, and a purpose - for the first time she has people who care about her. I wouldn't allow you to ruin that for her, she's not the one behaving abdominally." The Watcher smiled coldly. "Behave yourself and grow up, or you will be slain. If the others won't do it, I'll do it myself." 


	20. Goodbyes & Endings

Blood Tears 20 - Goodbyes & Endings  
  
Gino Romero grinned at the car pulling up outside their base. "Look at the body on that one, whoee Angelus can pull the babes!"  
  
"Sure can," Al Travis licked his lip, "wonder if we'll get a taste?"  
  
The two vampires watched avidly as the car's driver, a shapely brunette slid out of the car dragging a pretty but terrified-looking red-head behind her. "Stop struggling you little bitch," the raven-haired beauty growled before turning to them and fluttering her long eyelashes. "Hello boys," she purred, "room inside for a lost and lonely gal?"  
  
"We've got some trouble heading our way so everybody's welcome." Gino leered. "Particularly a body as fine as yours," the vampire glanced across at the frightened red-head. "Who's she?"  
  
"Well now, coming to meet an important vampire like Angelus without a present would be rude," the brunette explained before pouting. "What about you, do you want your present?"  
  
Gino's eyes widened. This gorgeous, sexy vampiress of incredible power was offering herself to him, a lowly newbie of only three decades? Gathering his senses, he grinned and nodded. "Well sure."  
  
The vampiress smirked, grabbed him round the neck and pulled him towards her. "By the way, the name's Faith." Gino's eyes widened in shocked recognition. He opened his mouth to shout only for his world to obliterate when the woman slammed a stake into his heart.  
  
* * *  
  
Faith spun round to Willow only to find the Wicca had turned her adversary to dust with a fire spell. "You okay Red?" She hadn't liked Giles' plan of her and the Wicca driving to the doors of Angelus' base and distracting and dealing with the guards. Unfortunately Willow was the only logical choice, the vampires would have almost certainly recognised Kendra or Buffy as Slayers, and Xander as their escaped prisoner, and after them, Red was the most powerful.  
  
"Fine," the Wicca bobbed her head enthusiastically. "The spell worked better than I thought it would."  
  
"Better than you thought?" Faith's eyes narrowed. "You mean you hadn't -." The vampiress stopped and counted to ten, it was moments like this she was glad she'd never have to worry about having kids. "Never mind. Call the others on the mobile." On the other hand one thing she hated about being a vampire was learning new technology.  
  
* * *  
  
"So everybody knows their jobs. Kendra and Buffy, you'll take care of Angelus and Spike. Faith, you and Xander," Giles looked at the expressionless youth with disdain, "will take out the minions. We will cover the exits and deal with any attempting to escape." The Watcher glanced at a pale-faced but determined looking Willow, Oz, Cordelier, Jonathan, and Miss Calendar. "Good luck everybody."  
  
"Just be careful with those crossbows," Xander glanced meaningfully at the Englishman. "We wouldn't want any accidents."  
  
Giles smiled coldly back. "Oh no we wouldn't want any accidents."  
  
Faith glanced from Xander to Giles in confusion. Clearly something had transpired between the two men, she could sense the animosity coming off both of them. She just hoped Xander wasn't alienating his friends. She dropped her eyes when Xander looked in her direction. She couldn't cope with the hatred she saw in his eyes.  
  
She felt a tug on her arm. She looked across at an understanding looking Buffy. "He's not the Xander you loved anymore," the Slayer whispered softly. "Xander wouldn't treat you like that. Forget about him."  
  
Faith nodded slowly. She knew the Slayer was right. Either the demon inside him, what he'd done, or what he'd discovered about her had changed Xander. But that didn't stop her from loving him. "Let's get this over with," she whispered. After Angelus was finished, that was it for her, she would leave. She couldn't handle being that close to him but not with him.  
  
Buffy nodded, walking over to the door, she kicked it open before turning to the others. "Let's get it on!"  
  
* * *  
  
Faith moved smoothly under the vampire's wild swing and thrust a stake into its chest. Now this was more like it, some vampires to work her aggression out on.  
  
Leaping into the air, she smashed a spin kick into the jaw of an advancing vampiress, knocking her to the ground. Before her opponent had chance to regain her feet, Faith was on her, thrusting a stake deep into the vampiress' chest.  
  
Standing, she was rocked backwards by a left hook to her nose that shattered the bone. Blinded by tears of pain, she barely saw the right cross that smashed into her forehead, knocking her to the dusty floor. Dazed, she stared up at the grinning vampire above her. "Thought you were meant to be tough?"  
  
"There's rumours." Quickly pulling a stake out of her pocket she threw it upwards and into the surprised vampire's chest. Faith smirked at the surprised look on the vampire's face before it exploded into dust.  
  
Still grinning, she tensed her legs to spring to her feet. And let out an anguished screamed when a scowling vampire stomped on her right knee shattering the bone. "You killed my brother, bitch!" Faith could only watch helplessly as the vampire raised a sword.  
  
* * *  
  
Out of the corner of his eye Xander saw a vampire standing over a helpless looking Faith raise a sword. Suddenly his world stopped, despite all the insults he'd thrown her way, he knew he still loved her. Bellowing in fury and terror, he grabbed the vampire he was fighting and flung him into the air before racing towards the prone vampiress and her assailant.  
  
His eyes widened in horror as he saw the blade begin to descend. Screaming, he dived between Faith and the falling blade. Even as the blade tore through his side, splintering ribs, he thrust a stake through the vampire's heart. He hit the ground with a thud, letting out a howl of pure agony as sledge-hammer pain reverberated through his body. A second later he felt a pair of tender yet strong hands on his shoulder, easing him over.  
  
"Xander," it was Faith, her face drawn with pain from her own injury but also filled with happiness. "You saved me."  
  
"Love you too much to let you go," he replied, his voice haggard with pain. "I'm sor -." Suddenly his world plunged into darkness.  
  
* * *  
  
Angelus hid his worry behind a cocksure smile. His entire army obliterated; centuries of work gone in one afternoon. And yet it wasn't all bad. He hadn't joined in the fighting, allowing Spike to lead the minions into battle. As a result, his favoured childe had died at the hands of the second Slayer but in the process severely injuring her, the two traitors were incapacitated too, and the blonde Slayer was also injured. Not as badly as the others but enough to give him an advantage.  
  
Angelus' grin grew wider. It was a shame this bitch was a Slayer, he'd have enjoyed some time torturing her before turning her, she had the looks to even compete with his Darla, although not with the whore he'd honoured with the privilege of making his first childe. "So Slayer," he purred, "how does it feel, your body bruised and battered, and knowing that you are all that stands between your friends and death? After all you are the Slayer who downed both the Master and Kaiktosis, if you were uninjured then I would be very worried indeed. But now.."  
  
He smiled at the flicker of fear he saw in the Slayer's eyes. Within a split-second it was gone; by the gods she had spirit, he'd have enjoyed hearing her scream and beg for mercy. "What it is with you Master Vamps, you're never direct always try and talk a girl to death."  
  
Laughing, he gave a courtly bow. "I've never been one to refuse a lady, even an American version of one, en garde!"  
  
The vampire lunged forward, the point of his blade slashing across the blonde's chest ripping a bloody furrow. The blonde let out a grunt before darting backwards. A grin on his face, Angelus followed her, jabbing at her legs, meaning to cripple her before finally killing her. Perhaps he could have a little fun before killing her and the others.  
  
Instead the Slayer leapt into the air, launching herself into a crescent kick that connected squarely with his jaw, staggering him backwards. Wincing at the pain, he lashed wildly at the blonde who slid smoothly under his attack, coming up within his defences with a slash at his head that he only just managed to block.  
  
Back-pedalling furiously, he slashed at the advancing blonde's throat only for her to sway away from his attack and retaliate with a stab that tore a bloody furrow across the bicep of his sword-arm sending a lancing pain up his arm. Grimacing at the agony he decided to play dirty and spat in his adversary's face, momentarily blinding her. A grin on his face, the vampire sent a thrust at the Slayer's unprotected heart. Somehow, the Slayer's sword flickered upwards, parrying his attack and locking their swords together in a deadly embrace. Smiling, he pressed his weight against the woman's slighter frame. "I've enjoyed our battle my dear," he raised an eyebrow, "but all good things must come to an end. It's just a shame it has to be a quick and relatively painless one. I could have done such work with your magnificent body and spirit."  
  
"Talk, talk, that's all you vampires do, I know you're immortal and everything, but long-winded much?" The Slayer sent a knee hurtling up at his groin that he deflected on his thigh but even as he did so the Slayer smashed her forehead into his face.  
  
"My nose!" he roared in agony as his nose shattered under the impact. Enraged at the temporary damage to his handsome features, he kicked out with the toe of his steel-capped boots smashing into the blonde's already bleeding side. Angelus grinned as the blonde paled and fell to one knee. He had her. Charging forward he brought his blade down only for the blonde to roll away and spring to her feet. Knocked off balance by the momentum of his own attack, the vampire could only scream his anger as he felt the Slayer's blade cut into his neck.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you ready Xander?"  
  
Xander sighed; he reached up and squeezed his girlfriend's hand, gaining strength from her closeness. Two weeks had passed since the defeat of Angelus, and they'd used the time to repair their relationship. He knew he'd hurt her terribly, if only he could take away the pain he'd caused her. "I'm sorry."  
  
Faith's lips caressed his cheek before she bit his ear. "Xand honey, shut up. You're really starting to piss me off now. We've been through this a hundred times, we're together that's all that matters."  
  
His face twisted in misery. "Yeah but -."  
  
His lover ended his speech with a long lingering kiss. "But nothing. Maybe you over-reacted but I should have told you everything. You mean more to me than anybody I've ever known and you feel the same about me. Right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
The vampiress smirked in satisfaction. "Thought so. Nothing says I love you like taking a sword to the ribs."  
  
Xander laughed and stood. "Let's get this over with."  
  
* * *  
  
The atmosphere in the library was muted and everybody in the building turned towards the two vampires. Xander swallowed. This was the hardest thing he'd ever done but he couldn't stay in Sunnydale and risk running into Harmony's parents or worse still Amy; he had to have a fresh start. "Hi everybody. We'll be leaving soon. So," he swallowed again, "I guess this is goodbye."  
  
"Don't go," Willow flung her arms around him. "I can't go on without you."  
  
"Once maybe," Xander hugged his oldest friend. "But you're stronger now and you've got Wolfie, Giles, Buff, and the others to look after for me. Heck, someone's got to keep Cordy in line. I'm relying on you Will."  
  
Next came a tearful Buffy. "It's all my fault, if I hadn't come here -."  
  
"If you hadn't come here," the newly made vampire gently wiped away the blonde's tears. "My Will wouldn't be the confident and out-going person she is now. I wouldn't have met the best dad I've ever had," he nodded towards an embarrassed looking Giles. "Kendra wouldn't have got a chance at a real life. I wouldn't have gained the self-esteem I got from helping you and most importantly I wouldn't have got my Faith. So you want to blame yourself for what happened to me do that, but remember the good stuff do."  
  
"I want to come with you."  
  
Xander smiled sadly before hugging Kendra. "And I want you to come with us. But it wouldn't be fair," he placed a finger across Kendra's opening mouth, cutting off whatever protest the girl was about to make. "For the first time you've got a father, I know Giles will look after you, Mrs Summers loves mothering you, a boyfriend, loads of friends, and a chance to go to school. If you come with us you'll have to give all that up. I won't allow it."  
  
He avoided Giles' out-stretched hand, choosing to envelop the man in an embrace. "Let's have a manly hug, G-Man."  
  
The Watcher spoke, his voice choked with emotion. "I'm going to miss you son."  
  
"You too dad," he whispered in reply, his own voice choking. "Look after them all," he leaned forward and muttered in the Watcher's ear. "Two weeks ago you told me not to be a bloody idiot. Now I'm giving you the same advice, any fool can tell you love Ms. Calendar, swallow your pride."  
  
The youth stepped back towards his girlfriend. "Wolfie," he grinned at Oz. "Look after Will for me. Cordy," he winked at the crying cheerleader. "Keep giving Buff the fashion tips - god knows she needs all the help she can get."  
  
"Look who's talking."  
  
"Jonathan, you've seen how angry Giles can get. Bear that in mind when you're with Kendra, and Miss Calendar, give the G-Man time." He winked at the computer tutor. "For a librarian he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer."  
  
"I say!"  
  
Xander's face turned serious. "It's been a honour knowing you all and I wish I could stay but for a ton of reasons I can't. Look after Amy for me please." He nodded towards the G-Man; he alone had their contact details. All he had to do was ring and they'd return.  
  
"Let's go honey."  
  
Xander turned at his girlfriend's voice and nodded. "Good idea."  
  
The End 


End file.
